Occupational duties (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"occupational duties" |"occupational duty"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966: One who is engaged always… Just like the materialist is always engaged in reading some material literature like newspaper, magazines, and fiction, novel, etc., and so many scientific or philosophies, all these things of different degrees of thought. Similarly, if we transfer our, that reading capacity for these Vedic literatures, as presented by, as very kindly presented by Vyāsadeva, then it is quite possible for us to remember at the time of death the Supreme Lord. That is the only way suggested by the Lord Himself. Not suggested, it is the fact. Nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ [Bg. 8.5]. Undoubtedly. There is no doubt about it. Tasmāt, the Lord suggested therefore, tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu mām anusmara yudhya ca [Bg. 8.7]. He advises Arjuna that mām anusmara yudhya ca. He does not say that “You simply go on remembering Me and give up your present occupational duty.”

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973: Kṛṣṇa says that “I appear when there is discrepancies in the, I mean to say, occupational duties of the living entities.” Dharmasya glānir bhavati. We don’t translate dharma as “religion.” Religion in the English dictionary, it is “a kind of faith.” Faith can be changed. But dharma is a word which cannot be changed. If it is changed, it is to be understood artificial. Just like the water. Water is liquid, everyone knows. But sometimes water becomes hard, very hard, ice. So that is not the natural position of water. Artificially, on account of excessive cold or by artificial means the water becomes solid. But the real position of water is liquidity. So when we are detached from the service of the Lord, this is also unnatural, unnatural. Natural position is that we must be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is our natural position.

Lecture on BG 2.7 -- London, August 7, 1973: You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa or God without bhakti. Bhaktyā māṁ abhijānāti [Bg. 18.55]. Only bhaktyā māṁ abhijānāti. Otherwise, it is not possible. Bhaktyā māṁ abhijānāti yāvan yas cāsmi tattvataḥ. Reality, in reality, if you want to understand what is God, then you have to adopt this bhakti process, devotional service. Then you transcend. Therefore, in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Nārada says that: tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer [SB 1.5.17]. If anyone, even by sentiment, gives such, gives up his occupational duty according to guṇa... That is called svadharma... Svadharma means one’s duty according to the quality he has acquired. That is called svadharma. The brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, they are divided guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, by guṇa and karma.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969: We, as spirit soul, dehī, the possessor of this body... Dehī means one who possesses this body, or the occupier of the body, the spirit soul. That is eternal. Changing body only, but eternal. Therefore we should not be interested to these different types of temporary body. That is not very good intelligence. So we have to prepare ourself. If we want... There is a full description of each and every planet. And we can prepare ourself according to our desire, which planet we wish to go. But Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino ’pi yānti mām. “Persons who are engaged in My occupational duties, they will come to Me.”