225. Scriptures and Swa-Dharmam

The sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is titled 'Daiva-Asura Sampad Vibhag Yoga' which is attaining Union through the distinction of the Divine and Demonic Natures. 'Daiva' is the internal journey towards Paramatma and 'Asura' is away from HIM. Krishna gave a detailed description of these two natures to help us identify our tendencies and correct course accordingly. He concludes the chapter by saying that those who act under the impulse of desire, discarding the scriptural ordinance, attain neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal in life. He advises us to take the scriptures as our guide in determining what should be done and what should be avoided; to understand the scriptural injunctions and perform our actions in this world accordingly. The seventeenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is titled 'Shraddha Traya Vibhaga Yoga', i.e. attaining union through insight into the three divisions of shraddha (trust). This chapter starts with Arjun's question, "Those who worship, casting aside the scriptural ordinance, endowed with shraddha (trust), what is their status? Are they of sattvic, rajasic or tamasic nature" (17.1)? Arjun's question is the most common question faced by all of us regarding scriptures in this fast changing world. Krishna replies, "Every embodied being is born with innate shraddha which can be of three kinds -sattvic, rajasic and tamasic (17.2). The shraddha of each man is in accordance with his nature. This inclination is his pattern of being; he is verily what his shraddha is" (17.3). This innate shraddha is the root cause of swa-dharmam (own nature). Because of this intrinsic origin, Krishna had earlier advised us to follow swa-dharmam, even if it’s faulty or devoid of merits rather than following para-dharmam (other's nature) (3.35). Thus, this chapter dwells on the various facets of swa-dharmam and how our behaviours are influenced accordingly.