Duty means

Expressions researched:
"duty means" |"duties means"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Prescribed duties means activities in terms of one's position in the modes of material nature

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

Tamala Krsna reading Translation and Purport: 47: "You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Neither consider yourself the cause of action, nor should you be attached to inaction [Bg. 2.47]."

Purport: "There are three considerations here: prescribed duties, capricious work, and inaction. Prescribed duties means activities in terms of one's position in the modes of material nature. Capricious work means actions without the sanction of authority; and inaction means not performing one's prescribed duty. The Lord advised that Arjuna not be inactive, but that he be active in his duty without being attached to the result. One who is attached to the result of his work is also the cause of the action. Thus he is the enjoyer or sufferer of the result of such action. As far as prescribed duties are concerned, they can be fitted into three subdivisions: routine work, emergency work, and desired activities. Routine work in terms of the scriptural injunctions is done without desire for results. As one has to do it, obligatory work is action in the modes of goodness. Work with results becomes the cause of bondage, and so such work is not auspicious. Everyone has his proprietary right in regard to his duties, but should act without attachment to the result. Thus such disinterested obligatory duties helps to lead one to the path of liberation. Arjuna was advised by the Lord to fight as a matter of duty without attachment to the result. His nonparticipation in the battle is another side of attachment. Such attachment never leads one to the path of salvation. Any attachment, positive or negative, is cause for bondage. Inaction is sinful. Therefore fighting as a matter of duty was the only auspicious path to salvation for Arjuna." 48: "Be steadfast in your duty, O Arjuna, and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called yoga [Bg. 2.48]."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Now, we manufacture our duty, that is another thing, but according to śāstra, just like Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. Duty means according to this cātur-varṇyaṁ, four varṇas and four āśramas

Lecture on SB 4.14.14 -- November 16, 1971, Delhi: That is called dharma. Now, we manufacture our duty, that is another thing, but according to sastra, just like Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. Duty means according to this catur-varnyam, four varnas and four asramas. That is called dharma, sadharma. The brahmana must execute his brahminical duties, a ksatriya must execute his ksatriya duties, similarly vaisya, a sudra, a brahmacari, a grhastha, a vanaprastha, sannyasi. That is called dharma. This is material dharma, this is not spiritual dharma. Material dharma means so long we are under the concept of this body, there are certain duties. That is called material dharma. Just like we eat, this is also one of the duty, because if I don't eat, then I shall die. But what kind of food I shall eat, that is described in the sastra, that sattvic, rajasic, tamasic bhojana. So if we follow the instruction of the sastra, dharma-sastra ... They are called dharma-sastra, the regulative principles. There are twenty kinds of dharma-sastra, just to regulate because every one of us come to enjoy this world. Just like government rules and regulation. Suppose you are selling liquor. The thing is bad, but because people want it, government gives license that you can sell for the drunkard but under these rules and regulations, not freely. Similarly, the living entities, all the conditioned souls who have come here in this material world, their real purpose is how to enjoy this material world. They have no other purpose. Because a living entity is not enjoyer, he is servitor. But when he wants to enjoy, he is sent into this material world. Krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare. Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, our only duty is to serve Krsna. There is no other duty. Therefore Krsna demands, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]

Festival Lectures

You have manufactured so many duties. That duties means you are manufacturing so many bodies. That's all

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:: So Krsna comes personally to canvass, that "This is not your proper order of life. You are misusing your independence for sense gratification and wandering through various types of transmigration of bodies, sometimes human body, sometimes dog's body, sometimes cat's body, sometimes demigod's body, sometimes rich body, sometimes poor body." "So you stop this business," Krsna says. Sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66]. "You have manufactured so many duties. That duties means you are manufacturing so many bodies. That's all." Why you have got different types of bodies? We have manufactured it. God has given us facility. I wanted to become such and such. He has given us facilities, "All right, you become such and such." If I want to become a tiger, God will give me all the facilities to become a tiger. He will give me facilities, paws and nails and teeth so that immediately I can capture any animal, and with the instruments which He has provided within my body, I can immediately scratch it into pieces and eat. Similarly, you will find... You see the cranes. They have got big beaks. Why? Because they have to catch fish from within the water, so the beak must be very long. So there is facility. The hog has different mouth because he has to eat stool. So a different kind of body.

Philosophy Discussions

Therefore, as soon as you say duty, duty should be prescribed by some higher authority. In that sense, this system is very scientific: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. It is very scientific

Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant::

Syamasundara: He says that duty is one's individual obligation to obey the categorical imperative by choosing the morally right action. In other words, duty means it is my duty to choose the morally right action, free from emotion.

Prabhupada: Therefore, as soon as you say duty, duty should be prescribed by some higher authority. In that sense, this system is very scientific: brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra. It is very scientific. For brahmana, these are the duties; a ksatriya, these are the duties. Every duty may appear different, but because it is a command of the Supreme, by discharging these duties on different platform, he is serving the Supreme. If Krsna says, "All right, I see you are a brahmana. Your duties are like this," "I see you are a ksatriya. Your duties are like this," "I see you are a vaisya. Your duties are like this..." But Krsna says catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg. 4.13]. I have divided, so Krsna gives duty, that "Your duty is this, your duty is this, and your duty is this." And if he faithfully serves the duty, that means he is serving Krsna. The duties may appear different, but because he is serving Krsna, he is going to perfection. Just like in our institution, I am the head man, so I may say, "You paint. You preach. You type. You do this." So the duties may be different, but by discharging duty, you are serving me; therefore you are perfect. Similarly, duties are given by the Supreme. Because I see that you are a sudra, you cannot discharge the duties of a brahmana. That is not possible. So you do your duty like this. So superficially it may seem that a sudra's duty is inferior to the brahmana's duty, but if the sudra is performing his duty in accordance to the order of the Supreme, then he is also serving. The service is the main point. The same example of our body, that the duty of eyes, seeing, it is different from the duty of the legs, walking. But walking and seeing, both of them are being utilized for the whole body; therefore all of them are useful. So there cannot be any fixed-up duty, neither is everyone able to follow the same principles. Therefore this varnasrama-dharma is very scientific. That is to be understood.

That duty means to take orders from authority. That is real duty. Otherwise, I cannot create my duty

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill::

Prabhupada: That duty means to take orders from authority. That is real duty. Otherwise, I cannot create my duty.

Syamasundara: If I accept the authority as my duty...

Prabhupada: The orders of the authority.

Syamasundara: The orders of the authority as my duty, then my conscience keeps me following that order. My conscience.

Prabhupada: Yes. If you agree.

Syamasundara: Yes.

Prabhupada: Authority means we agree to follow.

Syamasundara: Yes.

Prabhupada: Just like we follow Krsna. Krsna says, "You give up everything. Surrender unto Me," we accept that. So similarly, that is the duty. Now I may accept Krsna, you may accept Christ, but that doesn't matter. But duty means what the higher authority orders, you must follow. That is duty.

Syamasundara: And if I am aware what is that duty...

Prabhupada: You will be aware as soon as you approach the higher authority. He'll give you order, "Do this," "Do not do this."

Duty means superior order. That is duty. You cannot manufacture your duty

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte::

Syamasundara: So the standard of what ought to be is that one should fulfill one's duty to Krsna.

Prabhupada: That is good, that is moral, real morality.

Syamasundara: So Krsna uses the same terminology that one should fulfill his duty and if this is the what ought to be.

Prabhupada: Duty means superior order. That is duty. You cannot manufacture your duty.

Syamasundara: His idea is a little impersonal because he says that we discern what ought to be from the forces of nature around you, reality unfolding.

Prabhupada: Then he abides by the forces of nature. That is nature is superior. He does not know beyond nature there is another superior being, that is God. That is his lack of knowledge. That is the difficulty. If you are not perfect, where is that philosopher?

Syamasundara: He sees an intelligence acting in nature.

Prabhupada: Anyway he accepts the superiority of nature, superior position of nature. He accepts it. So but beyond the nature there is a... the Supreme Personality Godhead. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10]. Under My direction nature works. So he has no vision to see the background of nature.

Yes, yes. Stuff of duty, because duty means you are abiding by the superior order, that is duty

Philosophy Discussions, Johann Gottlieb Fichte: Prabhupada: Yes, yes. Stuff of duty, because duty means you are abiding by the superior order, that is duty. So we accept Vedas, the superior order. When it is stated, order in the Vedas, then we accept. That example we have given several times, if the Veda says that cow dung is pure. Once it is said that any stool of animal is impure. Then Veda says, "No, cowdung is pure." So you cannot argue that once you said that stool of animal is impure, how you say that cowdung is pure? You cannot contradict. You will have to accept it because it is order of the Vedas.

Duty means the order given by some superior and you follow, you do it. That is duty. But if you have no superior order, if you have no conception who is the superior, what is his order, then where is your duty?

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte::

Prabhupada: That means I can manufacture my own duty, you can manufacture your own duty. There is no standard. But our standard is, Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sar... [Bg. 18.66], whatever you, rascal, whatever you have manufactured, give it up. The Bhagavata says that dharmah projjhita atra kaitavah, that all cheating type of religious system is kicked out. Here is the religious system, satyam param dhimahi [SB 1.1.1]. What is that satyam? Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Everything is clear. And where is that clear understanding? Simply speculating. That is the difference, the Vedic standard knowledge and this speculative philosophy. So, so far we are concerned, we refer to the Vedas, sabdah pramanam. Sabdah means Vedas, sabdah brahman. So whatever action we do, if it is approved by the Vedic injunction then it is standard and confirmed.

Hayagriva: Now duty, we get back to the same thing. He writes, "True atheism consists in refusing to obey the voice of one's conscience until one thinks one can foresee the success of one's actions, and thus elevating one's own judgment above that of God and in making oneself into God. He who wills to do evil in order to produce good is a godless person."

Prabhupada: Now if you do not know what is God, then how you will verify your duty is nice, all-good? What is the order of God, who is God, then where is your duty? You simply manufacture your duty. So everyone can do that. So what do you mean by duty? Duty means the order given by some superior and you follow, you do it. That is duty. But if you have no superior order, if you have no conception who is the superior, what is his order, then where is your duty? Simply by mental imagination. Is it? Does he say it like that?

1973 Correspondence

Occupational duty means to stick with one type of occupation which is just suitable for me, considering that it is my duty, therefore I am throughout my life obligated to perform it to the best of my ability

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Bombay 2 January, 1973: Now you appear little restless, I know that is your nature, you like to do big things and you are very capable and intelligent young man for executing tremendous tasks on behalf of Krsna. But I think that you have got a huge field of endeavor in the German speaking countries and other countries of Scandinavia, Communist countries and other places like that. Now work very vigorously to develop these places, that is your great task at hand. You needn't look further to find some big challenge. The challenge is very near at hand. That means developing and expanding along the lines as you have begun. Of course we are not ever very much anxious to repeat the same activity many times, that is the nature of the living entity, that he seeks to enjoy varieties of flavors. But mature understanding of activity means to take it as our occupational duty. That is to say, suppose I am established as good carpenter, then it will be foolish if after some time I am thinking, "Oh, I have done this cutting of woods so many times, now it is becoming boring and uninteresting, therefore let me become a doctor, no. That is not recommended by Krsna, neither is it common sense. Occupational duty means to stick with one type of occupation which is just suitable for me, considering that it is my duty, therefore I am throughout my life obligated to perform it to the best of my ability. This is mature understanding of occupation. That means I must not leave it even for so-called good cause, just like Arjuna wanted to stop his fighting activity just to avoid killing so many of his kinsmen, cousin brothers, and other friends. So we are preachers on behalf of Lord Krsna, that is our occupational duty, we haven't got to search any further some new challenge or change our engagement. No, that has been already settled up.