| CATEGORY | LIFE |
| SUB CATEGORY | DUTY |
| What is the right attitude to perform one’s duties? |
| Man should realize that he has no claim to rights. His role is to carry out his duties. When he performs his duties, he will reap the rewards in due course. People today do not discharge their duties but fight for their rights. Student’s! At the outset, realize your duties and carry them out. Duty is God. Work is worship. It is foolish to expect rewards without performing one’s duties. People are wasting their sacred human birth by neglecting their duties. Divine Discourse 14 Jan 1997 |
| What is the intricate relation between duties and rights? |
| Everyone should recognize his responsibilities in the kingdom of the Heart and not be concerned about his rights. What meaning is there in fighting for rights with a polluted heart? Your rights will be ensured if you discharge your duties properly. There are officials who receive salaries in thousands. Are they doing enough work to justify those salaries? One who does not do enough work to justify his salary is a traitor to the nation. He is cheating the people. When you do enough work to justify your salary, you will be deriving boundless satisfaction. Duties must come first. That is the basis of Indian Culture. Divine Discourse 13 Feb 1997 |
| Is it good judging people by their occupation? |
| Whatever position you occupy, see that it is used worthy. A cobbler stitching shoes is pursuing as worthily an occupation as a Prime Minister governing the country. Therefore, everyone has to do his duty properly. There is no high or low in these matters. To each person, his occupation is a matter of pride. Hence, do your duty sincerely. Everyone should be filled with this feeling. He should see that he does his job well without any lapse or defect. When everyone does his duty in this spirit, the well-being of the whole world will be automatically ensured. Divine Discourse 7 April 1997 |
| Why should one strive for perfection in life? |
| Everyone should act according to the role allotted to him in life. This can be illustrated by a story from the life of King Bhoja in which an actor, first appearing as a renunciant in the King’s court, declined his offer of a plate of gold coins, and on the second, appearing as a dancer, declared that the gold coins offered to him as a dancer were inadequate. Today persons don the Kaashaayam (ochre robe), but their hearts are polluted. People do not live up to the roles they assume. When you are given the human form, you should play your part as a human being. As a student, or as a householder, or as a renunciant, you should play your specific role well. Divine Discourse 14 Sep 1997 |
| What is the role of women in maintaining harmony at home? |
| A married lady has many great titles like Dharma Pathni (Righteous wife), Griha-Lakshmi (Goddess of the house), Illalu (lady of the house) and Ardhaangi (equal partner of the husband).These titles have more value than socially recognised titles like Padhma Bhushan and Padhma Vibhushan given by the Government. A lady must look after the home first and then work outside, if necessary. A house without a mother is like an empty choultry. A lady should be an ideal mother to her children, look after her husband and then do outside work. She can study, get degrees, enter politics or do any other work but she should not neglect the home, which is the very foundation of her life. Husband and wife are both equally responsible for establishing harmony at home. But times have changed. Womanly-ideals are not being practiced and there are no ideal men and women today. That is why the world is in such a sorry state. Divine Discourse 19 Nov 1997 |
| How to get job satisfaction? |
| Today many occupy high positions and earn fabulous salaries. How many of them do work that can justify the salaries they are paid? Men who receive Rs.20,000 a month do not do even Rs.20 worth of honest work. This is treachery to the nation. An educated person must give proper return for the salary he receives. Students must bear this in mind when they enter service. They must give adequate return for the salary they receive. That will give you job satisfaction and soothe your conscience. Divine Discourse 22 Nov 1997 |