So jāti-dharma. Jāti, nowadays it has been taken as "national," but here, jāti-dharma means . . . just like one is born in brāhmaṇa jāti, kṣatriya jāti, vaiśya jāti, śūdra jāti. So each jāti, they have got different types of responsibilities. So when the unwanted children, irresponsible children, they do not follow any more the tradition, the family tradition, or jāti-dharma, so they create a class of population in the varṇa-saṅkara. So everything becomes topsy-turvy, hellish condition.
And actually it has so happened. Now there is no more jāti-dharma. Everyone is engaged somehow or other to fill up the belly. Formerly, formerly there was stricture. The brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas, these three higher castes, there were certain restrictions. The brāhmaṇa would not do this or the brāhmaṇa must do this. So that is called jāti-dharma. A brāhmaṇa cannot accept service from anywhere. I have discussed many times. A kṣatriya also cannot. And vaiśya cannot. Only the śūdras can become servant of other. Paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44).
So at the present moment, nobody can observe the strict rules and regulations, that "I am born in a brāhmaṇa family. I cannot accept anyone's service." Then you will have to starve. Because he has no brahminical capacity . . . by education, by culture, he's a śūdra, although falsely he's claiming that he is a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya. So his jāti-dharma, family tradition, family rituals, everything is lost due to this unwanted children. Unwanted children make everything topsy-turvy.
So Arjuna is visualizing all the future calamities. But there is one remedy. It is a fact that jāti-dharma we have lost. No more we can be called strictly following the jāti-dharma. No more can present himself strictly as a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya. Everything is lost now, by the influence of Kali-yuga, and varṇa-saṅkara. So there is only one remedy. Only one remedy. That is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto:
- devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ
- na kiṅkarā nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan
- sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ
- gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam
- (SB 11.5.41)
We must admit that we have created hellish condition of society by producing unwanted children and disobeying the jāti-dharma or kula-dharma. That one has to admit, everyone. So what is the remedy? Only remedy is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also says . . . Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, that "Even you can give up your jāti-dharma, but simply surrender unto Me. I shall give you protection."