Management concepts from bhagbat Gita

Most of us consider and look up to Gita as Spiritual book. For the Hindus it holds the same position as Bible is for Christians. Although there is not an iota of doubt of Gita as a spiritual guide of very high order, but looking towards Gita only as a spiritual guide will be underestimating its other dimensions. Gita can also be viewed as agreat management guide where the great management Guru Krishna advices today’s managers on how to deal with difficult situations.

In this view point Arjuna can be considered as a highly skilled worker who is overwhelmed by seeing the task at hand and begins to doubt his own abilities. How Lord Krishna re-motivates Arjuna to do his job gives us a glimpse of his leadership qualities. The concepts of management that we get from Gita are;-

Utilization of available resources

The first lesson of management science is to choose wisely and utilize scarce resources optimally. During the curtain raiser before the Mahabharata War, Duryodhana chose Sri Krishna's large army for his help while Arjuna selected Sri Krishna's wisdom for his support. This episode gives us a clue as to the nature of the effective manager ‐ the former chose numbers, the latter, wisdom.

Work commitment

A popular verse of the Gita advises "detachment" from the fruits or results of actions performed in the course of one's duty. Being dedicated work has to mean "working for the sake of work, generating excellence for its own sake." If we are always calculating the date of promotion or the rate of commission before putting in our efforts, then such work is not detached. It is not "generating excellence for its own sake" but working only for the extrinsic reward that may (or may not) result.

Work culture

An effective work culture is about vigorous and arduous efforts in pursuit of given or chosen tasks.

Sri Krishna elaborates on two types of work culture – "daivi sampat" or divine work culture and "asuri sampat" or demonic work culture.

Daivi work culture ‐ involves fearlessness, purity, self‐control, sacrifice, straightforwardness, self denial, calmness, absence of fault‐finding, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, absence of envy and pride.

Asuri work culture ‐ involves egoism, delusion, personal desires, improper performance, work not oriented towards service.

Mere work ethic is not enough. The hardened criminal exhibits an excellent work ethic. What is needed is a work ethic conditioned by ethics in work.

It is in this light that the counsel, "yogah karmasu kausalam" should be understood. "Kausalam" means skill or technique of work which is an indispensable component of a work ethic. “Yogah" isdefined in the Gita itself as "samatvam yogah uchyate" meaning an unchanging equipoise of mind (detachment.) Tilak tells us that acting with an equable mind is Yoga.

Manager should not look at the background of workers but only at their skill

Lord Krishna advices in chapter 5 verse 18 that the “sage look evenly at a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even the most despicable of men are blessed with the highest degree of knowledge.” Here the sage can be a taken as a synonym for perfect manager.

Manager always helps the workers focus on their strong points to overcome their weakness

Lord Krishna motivates Arjuna in Gita by telling him that all your weakness are result of your sensory attachments and you shouldnot forget that “Above senses there is the mind and above mind there is the intellect, and the one which lies above all of them is the Soul within, supremely powerful and yet subtle.’’(ch3 verse 43)

The manager should Practice what he preaches

"Whatever the excellent and best ones do, the commoners follow," says Sri Krishna in the Gita. So he says “Although, O Parth, there is no task in all the three worlds which I have to do, and neither is there any worthwhile object which I have not achieved, I am yet engaged in action.’’(chapter 3 verse 22).....

What is yagna that has been described as niyat karma by Gita?

Describing on the nature of yagna Lord krishna says
       brahmarpanam brahma havir, brahmagnau brahmana hutam
         brahmaiva tena gantavyam, brahma-karma-samadhina 
                                              -B.G. CHAP-4 SLOKA 24
English Translation-“Since both the dedication and the oblation itself are God, and it is the Godlike teacher who offers the oblation to the fire which is also God, the attainment, too, of the man whose mind is set on Godlike action is God himself.”


The emancipated man’s yagya is God, what he offers as oblation is God, and the sacred fire to which the sacrifice is made is also God. That is to say that what is offered by the Godlike worshipper to the sacred fire that is an embodiment of God is also God himself.That which is worthy of being secured by the man whose actions have been dissolved and stilled by God’s loving touch is also God. So this man does nothing; he only acts for the good of others.

These are attributes of the realized sage who has reached the 

stage of final attainment. But what is the nature of yagya that is 

performed by worshippers who have just set out on the quest ? So lord krishna says in the next sloka:-

                daivam evapare yajnam, yoginah paryupasate
                brahmagnav apare yajnam, yajnenaivopajuhvati
                                             -B.G. CHAP-4 SLOKA 25
English Translation- “Some yogis perform yagya to foster divine impulses, whereas some other yogis offer the sacrifice of yagya to (a seer who is) the fire of God. ’’


In the last verse Krishn portrayed the sacrifice made by sages who have made their abode in the Supreme Spirit. But he now depicts the yagya performed by worshippers who wish to be initiated into yog. These novices undertake sincere performance of yagya to gods to foster them, that is, they strengthen and augment divine impulses in the heart. Here it is useful to remember how Brahma had directed mankind to foster gods by yagya. The more virtues there are cultivated and garnered in the heart, the more the worshipper advances towards the ultimate excellence until he at last attains it. The novice worshipper’s yagya is thus aimed at strengthening the forces of righteousness in his heart. Other yogis perform yagya by offering sacrifice to the accomplished teacher in his heart-the sacred fire that is an 

embodiment of God.

These other yogi offer oblations to the Godlike teacher who also annihilates evils like fire. They perform sacrifices aimed at this accomplished teacher who is also an embodiment of sacrifice. In brief, they concentrate their minds on the form of the accomplished teacher, a realized sage.



           srotradinindriyany anye, samyamagnisu juhvati
          shabdadin visayan anya, indriyagnisu juhvati 
                                         -B.G. CHAP 4 SLOKA 26
English Translation- “While some offer their hearing and other senses as sacrifice to the fire of self-restraint, others offer speech and other sense objects to the fire of the senses.’’


Yet  other yogi offer all their senses of action-ear, eye, skin, tongue, and nose-to the fire of self-control, that is, they subdue their senses by withdrawing them from their objects. There is no real fire in this case. 

There are then yogi who offer all their senses of perception, sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, to the fire of senses; they sublimate 

their desires and thus turn them into effective means for 

achievement of the supreme goal.

            sarvanindriya-karmani, prana-karmani capare
         atma-samyama-yogagnau, juhvati jnana-dipite
                                           -B.G. CHAP 4 SLOKA 27
English Translation- “Yet other yogi offer the functions of their senses and operations of their life-breaths to the fire of yog (selfcontrol) kindled by knowledge.’’

In a still higher state than this, yogi offer as oblation the 

functions of all senses and operations of life-breaths to the fire of 

yog that is lit up by knowledge of God. When restraint is integrated 

with the Self and the operations of breath and senses are stilled, 

the current which stimulates passions and the current which propels 

one towards God merge into the Self. 

Yogeshwar Krishn again explains yagya :
          dravya-yajnas tapo-yajna, yoga-yajnas tathapare
         svadhyaya-jnana-yajnas ca, yatayah samsita-vratah
                                           -B.G. CHAP 4 SLOKA 28
English Translation - “Just as many perform yagya by making material gifts in service of the world, some other men perform yagya through physical mortification, some perform the sacrifice of yog, and yet others who practise severe austerities perform yagya through the study of scriptures(vedas).’’


There are many who make sacrifice of wealth. They contribute riches to the service of saints. To serve every man, to bring those who have strayed back to the right path, by contributing wealth to the cause is the sacrifice of riches. These sacrifices have the capability to nullify the natural sanskars. Some men mortify their senses through penances for the observance of their dharm. On the basis of this dharm they have been divided into 4 classes Brahman, khatriya baishya and shudra. There are many who practise the yagya of yog. Yog is the joining of the Soul, wandering amidst nature, with God who is beyond nature.
               apane juhvati pranam, prane ’panam tathapare
              pranapana-gati ruddhva, pranayama-parayanah
               apare niyataharah, pranan pranesu juhvati
             sarve ’py ete yajna-vido, yajna-ksapita-kalmasah
                                          -B.G.CHAP4 SLOKA 29-30
English Translation-“As some offer their exhalation to inhalation, others offer their inhaled breath to the exhaled breath, while yet others practise serenity of breath by regulating their incoming and outgoing breath.”“Yet others who subsist on strictly regulated breath and offer their breath to breath, and life to life, are all knowers of yagya, and the sins of all who have known yagya are destroyed.’’


Thus there are many forms of yagna but their result is same to get united with god head. In brief yagna is the act of devotion, act of penance to achive unification with god head...om Tatsat.!

What is the origin of yagna that has been said in Gita and what does it give?

In the Gita before telling what is yagna lord krishna tells us where does yagna come from ...
        saha-yajnah prajah srstva, purovaca prajapatih
       anena prasavisyadhvam, esa vo ’stv ista-kama-dhuk
                                             -B.G.CHAP3 SLOKA 10
English translation- “At the beginning of kalp-the course of self-realization Prajapati Brahma shaped yagya along with mankind and enjoined on them to ascend by yagya which could give them what their hearts aspired to.’’


Prajapati Brahma, the god presiding over creation, made mankind along with yagya at the beginning and told men to progress through yagya. This yagya, wholly propitious, was prescribed or ordained as the action which would satisfy their hunger for realization of the eternal God.Who was the creator of mankind along with yagya? Was it Brahma and who is he?



The sage who has realized and become one with the 

Supreme Spirit, the fountainhead from which all mankind has 

arisen, is ‘‘prajapati.” Wisdom that results from knowledge of God 

is itself Brahma. At the moment of this realization the mind becomes 

a mere instrument. It is God himself who then speaks through the 

voice of the sage.

There is constant growth of wisdom after the commencementof spiritual adoration, or worship. Since at the beginning this wisdom is endowed with knowledge of God, it is called brahmvitt. Gradually,as evil impulses are subdued and the knowledge of God is enriched,this wisdom is said to be brahmvidwar. As it ascends yet higher and gets more refined, it comes to be known as brahmvidwariyan.At this stage, the sage who is blessed with knowledge of God also achieves the capacity to bring others on to the way of spiritual growth. The highest point of wisdom is brahmvidwarisht, that state of divine inundation in which the spirit of God flows through it like a crystal current. Men who have attained to this state enter into and dwell in the Supreme Spirit from whom all mankind is born. The minds of such sages are mere instruments and it is they who are called “prajapati.” By dissociating themselves from the contradictions of nature, they create the Self who is yet unaware of the process of meditation or God’s worship. Conferring perfection
which is in accordance with the spirit of yagya is the creation of mankind.



Sanskar has always been 

there: but before the sages conferred perfection on it, it was 

deformed and in a state of anarchy. To shape it in accordance with

the requirements of yagya is the act of refining and adorning.


Some such accomplished sage or sages created yagya besides 

The true cure is that which provides liberation from the general 

creating mankind at the beginning of kalp, the course of Selfrealization.(kalp- 

malady of the world. The beginning of worship or adoration is the 

commencement of this remedy. When meditation is complete, we 

are wholly cured.)

Thus sages with their beings in the Supreme Spirit gave a proper 

shape to spiritual excellence and yagya, and instructed men that 

they would prosper through the observance of yagya.

They rather wished men to know that yagya would fulfil their God-inclined aspirations. A logical question that confronts us here is whether yagya leads to immediate attainment of God or only by gradual steps. Brahma further said to mankind :


                 devan bhavayatanena, te deva bhavayantu vah
               parasparam bhavayantah, sreyah param avapsyatha
                                                     -B.G.CHAP-3 SLOKA 11
English Translation- “And may you cherish gods by yagya and may gods foster you, for this is the means by which you will finally achieve the ultimate state.”

Cherishing gods by yagya means fostering sacred impulses. 

And that is also how gods foster mankind. Thus, by mutual 

augmentation men will ultimately achieve that final bliss after which 

there is nothing more to achieve.

And what will yagna give? This is stated in the following sloka no. 13 of chapter 3 and chapter 4 sloka 31.

                  yajna-sistasinah santo, mucyante sarva-kilbisaih
           bhunjate te tv agham papa, ye pacanty atma-karanat
                                             -B.G. CHAP-3 SLOKA 13
English Translation- ‘‘The wise who partake of what is left over from yagya are rid of all evil, but the sinners who cook only for the sustenance of their bodies partake of nothing but sin.”
                 yajna-sistamrita-bhujo, yanti brahma sanatanam
             nayam loko ’sty ayajnasya, kuto ’nyah kuru-sattama
                                            -B.G. CHAP-4 SLOKA 31
English Translation-“O the best of Kuru, the yogi who have tasted the nectar flowing from yagya attain to the eternal supreme God, but how can the next life of men bereft of yagya be happy when even their life in this world is miserable?”


So, lord krishna clearly states that  "yajna-sistamrita-bhujo, yanti brahma sanatanam" What yagya generates-what results from it, is nectar the substance of immortality. A direct experience of this is wisdom. The one who feeds on it becomes one with the eternal God. So yagya is something which with its completion unites the worshipper with God.


So, the question that now remains is what is yagna?

What is niyat(or neeyat) karma that Gita talks about ?

Lord krishna tells about niyat karma (the prescribed or ordained action that needs to be done) in sloka 8 of chapter 3.
           niyatam kuru karma tvam, karma jyayo hy akarmanah
           sarira-yatrapi ca te, na prasiddhyed akarmanah
                                    -B.G.CHAP3 SLOKA 8
English Translation-“You ought to do your prescribed action as enjoined by scripture, for doing work is better than not doing any, and in the absence of it even the journey of your body may not be completed.’’


Arjun is prompted to do the prescribed action-the ordained task which is distinct from all other kinds of work. Performance of this action is preferable to inaction, because if we do it and traverse even a small part of our way, it can rescue us from the great fear of birth and death. Performance of one’s spiritual duty - the ordained action- is, therefore, the better course. By not doing it we cannot even complete the journey of our Soul through different bodies. Here the prescribed action or niyat karma is such that will free one from the tetacles of birth and death. But what is the prescribed or ordained work that needs to be done ? This is described in the next sloka...
          yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra, loko ’yam karma-bandhanah
        tad-artham karma kaunteya, mukta-sangah samachara
                                   -B.G.CHAP-3-SLOKA 9
English Translation-“Since the conduct of yagya is the only action and all other business in which people are engaged are only forms of worldly bondage, O son of Kunti, be unattached and do your duty to God well.’’

Contemplation of God is the only real action. That conduct is action which enables the mind to concentrate on God. It is a prescribed act and, according to Krishn, tasks other than this are only forms of worldly bondage. Anything other than the performance of this yagya is a form of slavery rather than action. It is important to remind ourselves once more of Krishn’s injunction to Arjun that he shall be freed from the evils of this world only by doing the one real work. The accomplishment of this work, of yagya, is action; and Arjun is urged to do it well in a spirit of detachment. It cannot be performed without disinterest in the world and its objects.

So the conduct of yagya is action.


 But another question that now arises is what this worthwhile act of yagya is ? 


Where does yagna come from and what does it give?

What is karma according to Gita?

Lord krishna first brings the topic of karma in the 39th sloka of chapter 2
                    esa te ’bhihita sankhye buddhir yoge tv imam shrinu
                 buddhya yukto yaya partha karma-bandham prahasyasi
                                     -B.G.CHAP2-SLOKA39
English Translation-“This knowledge which I have imparted to you, O Parth is related to Gyan Yog, the Way of knowledge, and now you should listen to me on Karm Yog, the Way of Selfless Action, with which you can successfully sever the fetters of action as well as its consequence (karm).’’


Krishn tells Arjun that the knowledge, he has spoken of, is related to the Way of Knowledge. What knowledge is it except that Arjun should fight? The substance of the Way of Discrimination or Knowledge is only that if we fight according to our disposition after a careful appraisal of our capacity as well as of profit and loss, we shall attain to the state of ultimate bliss if we win, and to heavenly,godlike existence even if we are vanquished. There is gain in both cases. If we do not act, others will speak disparagingly of us and look upon us as having retreated like cowards, and we shall be disgraced. So to forge ahead on the path of action with a careful understanding of one’s innate nature is itself the Way of Knowledge or Discernment.


So Krishn asks Arjun to listen to him while he speaks of the Way of Selfless Action, armed with which he can effectively destroy the bonds of action and its consequence. Here the Yogeshwar has, for the first time, spoken of karm, although without explaining what it is. Instead of dwelling upon the nature of action, he describes its  characteristic traits.
Then he says in the next sloka describing the characterestics of Karma...
                      nehabhikrama-naso ’sti, pratyavayo na vidyate
                sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya, trayate mahato bhayat
                                      -B.G.CHAP2-SLOKA-40
English Translation-Since selfless action neither wears out the seed from which it sprang nor has any adverse consequence, even a partial observance of this dharm liberates (one) from the dire terror (of repeated birth and death)”
In the performance of action without coveting the fruits thereof, the initial impulse or the seed is not destroyed. It also does not give rise to any evil. So selfless action, even though done in small measures, frees us from the great fear represented by birth and death. That necessitates reflecting over the nature of such action and walking at least a few steps along its path. Worshippers who have renounced the vanity of earthly possessions have trodden this path, but so can those who lead the life of householders. Krishn tells Arjun to just sow the seed, for the seed is never destroyed.
He then states in the next sloka...
               vyavasayatmika buddhir, ekeha kuru-nandana
            bahu-sakha hy anantas ca, buddhayo ’vyavasayinam
                                             -B.G.CHAP2-SLOKA 41
English Translation-“On this auspicious path, O Kurunandan (Arjun), the resolute mind is one, but the minds of the ignorant are divided and many’’

The mind which is earnestly and firmly oriented to selfless action is unified. Selfless action is only one and its outcome is also one. Spiritual accomplishment is the only true achievement, The gradual realization of this attainment by fighting against forces of the material world is an enterprise. This enterprise and resolute action, with a single goal are also one and the same. 

So, it is clear that there is a certain specific action that needs to be done But what is that action but what is that action Lord krishna doesn't say it as yet. He says in the 47th 
sloka
         karmany evadhikaras te, ma phalesu kadacana
     ma karma-phala-hetur bhur, ma te sango ’stv akarmani 
                                                   -B.G.CHAP2-SLOKA-47
English Translation- “Since you are entitled only to the performance of action

but never to the fruits thereof, you should neither desire rewards of action nor be drawn to inaction.”   
So, it is cleared by Lord krishna that while performing this specific action or job you should not keep any desires of fruits of action. In other words you should have no desires while performing action, but what is the action that needs to be done? 

What is the work that needs to be done by people belonging to different castes ?

The answer to this question is given by lord krishna says in chapter 18..
                            
                       brahmana-kshatriya-visam, shudranam ca parantapa
                  karmani pravibhaktani, svabhava-prabhavair gunaih
                                                                       ...B.G.CHAPTER 18 SLOKA 41   
English translation-  “The duties of Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, as also of Shudr are determined by properties that are born out of their nature.’’


Lord krishna once again clearly states that the innate property of a being or object is a measurea yardstick. So the division of mankind into four varn is only a division of the one and same action into four stages according to the motivating properties. In Krishn’s words, action is the mode of attaining to the one, inexpressible God. The conduct that takes one to God is worship, which commences in faith in the desired end. So meditation on the Supreme Being is the one true action that Krishn has-divided into four steps in his system of varn. Now, how are we to know to which property and stage we belong? This is what Krishn turns to in the following verses.
              samo damas tapah shaucam ksantir arjavam eva ca
             jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam
                                                      ...B.G.CHAPTER 18 SLOKA 42
English translation- “Self-restraint, subduing of the senses, innocence, continence, mercy, uprightness, piety, true knowledge, and direct perception of divinity are the Brahmins province-born our of his nature.


It might be said, therefore, that the seeker is a Brahmin when all these merits are present in him and the commenced action is an integral part of his nature.

             sauryam tejo dhrtir daksyam yuddhe capy apalayanam
            danam ishvara-bhavas ca kshatram karma svabhava-jam
                                                         ...B.G.CHAPTER 18 SLOKA 43


English translation- “Valour, majesty, dexterity, unwillingness to retreat in battle, charity, and sovereignty are the natural province of a Kshatriya.”

               krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaishya-karma svabhava-jam
              paricaryatmakam karma shudrasyapi svabhava-jam
                                                         ...B.G.CHAPTER 18 SLOKA 44
English translation- “Farming, protection of cows (the senses) and commerce are the natural province of a Vaishya, whereas rendering service is the natural calling of a Shudr.’’


Agriculture, rearing of cattle, and commerce are duties in keeping with the nature of a Vaishya.  In the ancient Vedic text, the word “go” (cow) was used to refer to the senses. So protection of “cows” means care of the senses. The senses are protected by discernment, non-attachment, restraint, and steadfastness. They
are, on the other hand, riven and rendered feeble by lust, wrath, avarice, and attachment. Spiritual acquisition is the only true wealth.This is our one true asset and once it has been earned, it stays on with us forever. Gradual amassing of this wealth in the course of our struggle with the world of matter or nature is trade. The
acquisition of knowledge, which is the most precious of all riches, is commerce. And what is farming? The body is like a piece of earth. The seeds which are sown in it sprout in the form of sanskarthe merits of action: the force that is built up by all the actions in previous lives. Arjun is told that the seed (the initial impulse) of
selfless action is never destroyed. Vaishya is the third step of the ordained action- of contemplation of the Supreme Being; and preservation of the seeds of divine meditation that are sown in this patch of earth-the body, while at the same time opposing hostile impulses, is agriculture.To protect the senses
thus, to store spiritual wealth amidst the skirmishes of nature, and to always strengthen contemplation of the ultimate essence are the province of Vaishya. According to Krishn, the omnipresent God is the final outcome
of yagya. The devout souls who partake of this fruit are emancipated from all sins and it is the seeds of this action that are sown by the meditative process. To protect this germ is true husbandry. In Vedic writings food means the Supreme Spirit. God is the only real sustenance-the food. The Soul is fully placated at the completion of the exercise of contemplation and never again knows any craving. Once the exercise has been brought to successful conclusion, the Soul is freed from the cycle of birth and death. To go ahead sowing
the seeds of this food is true husbandry.


To serve those who have attained to a higher spiritual status, revered men of accomplishment, is the duty of Shudr. Rather than meaning “base’’, Shudr means “one with deficient knowledge.” It is the seeker at the lowest stage who is a Shudr. It is but proper that this initiate worshipper should begin his quest with rendering
service. Service to men of accomplishment will in the course of time generate nobler impulses in him and he will thus gradually move up to the higher Vaishya, Kshatriya, and Brahmin stages. And ultimately he will go beyond varn (properties of nature) and become one with God. Character is a dynamic entity. There is changein an individual’s varn along with changes in his character. So, in fact, varn are the four-excellent, good, medium, and low-stages: the four steps, low and high, which seekers who tread the path of action have to climb. This is so because the action in question is only one-the ordained action. The only way to final attainment according to Krishn is that the worshipper should begin his journey in keeping with the attributes of his own nature.
                  sve sve karmany abhiratah, samsiddhim labhate narah
                  sva-karma-niratah siddhim, yatha vindati tac chrnu
                                                     ...B.G.CHAPTER 18 SLOKA 45
English translation- “Commitment to his own inborn duty brings man to the ultimate accomplishment and you should listen to me on how a man achieves perfection through dedication to his innate calling.’’


By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. Now please hear from Me how this can be done.

                   yatah pravrttir bhutanam, yena sarvam idam tatam

                  sva-karmana tam abhyarcya,siddhim vindati manavah
                                                           ...B.G.CHAPTER 18 SLOKA 46
English translation- “By adoration of that God, who has created all beings and who pervades the whole universe, through the undertaking of his natural calling, man attains to final accomplishment.’’


The seeker achieves final consummation through performance of his native duties. It is, therefore, essential that he should constantly keep his mind fixed on God, adore him, and proceed on his way step by step. Instead of making any gain, a junior student even loses whatever he has if he sits in a senior class. So the law is that one should climb step by step.Krishn says that even a partially enlightened man ought to begin from the same point: from self surrender to God.

                sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah, para-dharmat sv-anusthitat
                svabhava-niyatam karma, kurvan napnoti kilbisam 
                                                      ...B.G.CHAPTER 18 SLOKA 47
English translation- “Even though unmeritorious, one’s own native calling is superior to the office of others, for a man carrying out his natural obligation does not bring sin upon himself.”


Although inferior, one’s own obligation is better than even the well performed duties of others. A man absorbed in performing a task that is determined by his own nature does not incur sin in so far as he is not subjected to the endless cycle of “entrances” and “exits”-of birth and death. It is quite often that worshipers begin to feel disenchanted with the service they are rendering-. They look at the more accomplished seekers who are absorbed in meditation and grow envious of the honor that is accorded them because of their merits. So novices at once fall to imitating. According to Krishna, however, imitation or envy can be of no avail. The final accomplishment is only by dedication to one’s own native calling, not by its abandonment.

This stanza completes the question that what is the duty the people belonging to different castes...OM TATSAT..!!

         

                                                                                         

      

What does Gita say about caste system prevalent in the hindu society?

In Bhagabat Gita lord krishna first brings the topic of caste in chapter 2 when he says

              sva-dharmam api caveksya na vikampitum arhasi
             dharmyad dhi yuddhac chreyo ’nyat kshatriyasya na vidyate
                                                        ...B.G.CHAPTER 2 SLOKA 31    

English translation-  “In view of your own dharm, too, it is unworthy of you to fear, for there is nothing more propitious for a Kshatriya than a righteous war.’’


It has been repeatedly said by lord krishna that “the Self (Atma) is immutable,” that “the Self is eternal,” and that “the Self is the only real dharm.” Now what is this dharm of the Self (swadharm)? The Self is the only dharm, although the capacity to engage in this dharm varies from individual to individual. This ability arising from one’s disposition has been named swadharm or the inherent dharm.

To make matters clear around this subject of caste let us go to chapter 4 of Bhagabat Gita where lord krishna says..
                         catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah
                 tasya kartaram api mam viddhy akartaram avyayam 
                                                  ...B.G.CHAPTER 4 SLOKA 13    

English translation- “Although I have created the four classes (varn )-Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudr-according to innate properties and actions, know me the immutable as a nondoer.’’

In this sloka lord krishna clearly says that I have created the four castes (or classes) i.e. Brahman, Khatriya, Baishya and Shudra. Does this mean that the great lord has divided men into four rigid categories determined by birth? The truth is rather that he has divided actions into four classes on the basis of inherent properties. All the same, as he tells Arjun, he-the imperishable God-is a non-agent and should be known as such. The innate property (gun) of a being or of a thing is a measure, a yardstick.

In the starting stage of any yogi when he begins the journey to unify with paramatman the dominant property is that of ignorance or darkness (tamas), it will result in an irresistible inclination to laziness, excessive sleep, wantonness, aversion to work, and compulsive addiction to evil in spite of the realization that it is evil. At this stage the yogi is shudra. (This is not determined by birth. Even if the yogi is born into a family of brahmin he will still be shudra when he starts the journey to unification).

 Later with the service to wise men which is the work that should be done by shudras he cultivates and develops there is the growing sway of the quality of rajas, and a partial awakening of the property of good and moral virtue (sattwa) as well, because of which the worshipper’s ability is elevated to the Vaishya level. Then the same worshipper begins spontaneously to imbibe qualities such as control of the senses and to accumulate other virtuous impulses.


Proceeding further on the path of action, he is endowed with the wealth of righteousness. The property of
rajas now grows faint and tamas is dormant. At this stage of development the worshipper steps on to the Kshatriya level. Prowess, the ability to be immersed in action, unwillingness to retreat, mastery over feelings, the capacity to carve his way through the three properties of nature-are now the inherent features of the
worshipper’s disposition.



With yet further refinement of action, sattwa makes its approach, at which there is the evolution of virtues
such as control of the mind and senses, concentration, innocence, contemplation and abstract meditation, and faith as well the capacity to hear the voice of God-all qualities that provide access to Him. With the emergence of these qualities the worshipper comes to belong to the Brahmin class.

This, however, is the lowest stage of worship at this level. When ultimately the worshipper is united with God, at that point-the highest point-he is neither a Brahmin, nor a Kshatriya, nor a Vaishya, nor a Shudr. So in 2nd chapter lord krishna advices arjun..
                 trai-gunya-visaya veda nistrai-gunyo bhavarjuna
            nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-ksema atmavan
                                                                      ...B.G.CHAPTER 2 SLOKA 45    

English translation- “Since all the Ved, O Arjun, only illumine the three properties, you should rise above them, be free from the contradictions of happiness and sorrow, rest on that which is constant, and be unconcerned with getting what you do not have as well as with protecting what you have, in order to dedicate yourself to the Self within.”


Krishna tells arjun The Ved only illumine the three properties of nature; they know nothing of what is beyond them. So Arjun should go beyond the sphere of action laid down by the Ved. How to do this? Krishnadvises Arjun to liberate himself from the conflicts of joy and sorrow,concentrate on the one changeless reality, and desire neither the unobtained nor the obtained; so that he may devote himself singlemindedly to the indwelling Self. This is how he can rise above the Ved. But is there any precedence of anyone going beyond them?
Krishn says that as a man transcends the Ved, even so he comes face to face with the Supreme Spirit, and that the man who is aware of him is a true Vipr, a Brahmin. Arjuna is a khatriya ..but lord krishna says him to become brahman. So it is clear that the caste or class is not determined by birth but are determined by the state of gunas. 


Now the question arises what is the work that needs to be done by people belonging to different castes ?