Goodness attracts goodness, and doing duties is goodness of high class, writes AJIT KUMAR BISHNOI
Unfortunately, we do not entirely understand the significance of what duty really is. This word is defined as something that you feel you have to do because it is your moral or legal responsibility. Duty is not a matter of choice but is obligatory, and it is decided by time, place and circumstances. I will cite a few examples and you can see that duty is what must be done.
A girl is just about to leave for her final exam and her father suffers a heart attack. What is her dutyIJ Yes, appearing in exam is a duty for a student but there is a bigger duty to try to help her father in this crisis.
The other example is of a son, whose company offers him a foreign posting with a very attractive package. This can really boost his career, but he turns it down. WhyIJ He and his terminally sick mother live by themselves. He cannot imagine leaving her and going so far away.
The third example is of a girl who is very attractive. While she is finishing her higher education abroad, an Indian boy settled in America proposes to her. She refuses even though she knows that he is a good boy. WhyIJ She is the only daughter of her aging parents. She had decided long ago that she would settle only in India, where she will be able to look after them.
From these examples, we can see that duties are always there and they are of different levels. The one which is higher due to time place and circumstances is the one we need to do. There is nothing like what we feel about it; it must be done. If doing duty is so important, it must bring us many benefits. Yes, it does.
let us see how doing duties enhances the quality of our lives. We all need attention, whether we admit it or not. Doing duties gets us the right kind of attention. Not only that, others support persons who are engaged in doing their duties. Goodness attracts goodness, and doing duties is goodness of high class.
A dutiful person avoids dependency. This is a great boon because being dependent on others is very painful. Dutiful persons have high self-respect, which gives a very good feeling. They are given responsibility because others are sure that the tasks entrusted to them will be done. They are trusted; they become special.
lord Krishna goes to the extent of stating that one achieves real success by being properly engaged in one’s duty. (The Bhagavad Gita 18.45) That is why the lord advises being engaged in duties. The one who does not do one’s duties will generally find it hard even to support oneself. (3.8)
Such person’s human life is well utilised. He or she is most likely to do duties towards himself or herself as a soul by turning spiritual and establishing a connection with God. He or she will make efforts to gain spiritual knowledge additionally, which helps in taking the right decisions in life. He or she will make serious attempts to gain peace of mind, which is not so easy. And dutiful persons take care of their bodies in order to be able to do their duties.
Shouldn’t we not then question as to why everyone is not dutifulIJ Because doing duties is painful. Excelling in studies, art or anything requires lots of effort, which is not pleasurable. But like what has been stated herein, being dutiful brings many rewards and that is why the lord strongly recommends it. life’s quality is enhanced.
Bishnoi is a spiritual writer and can be reached at spiritual@ajitbishnoi.com