Sai Baba Gita - Social Duty, Obligatory Duty and Family Duty

06-17-2004, 04:23 AM

Sai Baba GitaJune 17, 2004
Social Duty, Obligatory Duty and Family Duty
In your daily life in the family, there are three types of duties which may be
considered to be three aspects of dharma. There is social duty, there is
obligatory duty, and there is family duty. These duties express themselves in
different ways. First consider an example of social duty. Assume that tomorrow
is Sunday, which is a holiday for you. You may want to invite some people to
come to your house for tea. Suddenly in the night, you develop a fever. While
you are sick, you realize that if you were to invite your friends to visit the
next day, you would not be able to receive them properly, and so, it would not
make you or them happy. Therefore, in consideration of your obligations to your
friends, which you would not be able to perform while sick, you decide to
postpone the tea party. On the basis of the change in circumstances and your
consideration for your friends, you change the tea party to the following
Sunday. You are free to make the arrangements that fulfill
both your wishes and your social obligations.
Next, consider an example of obligatory duty. Let us say you are a lecturer in
the university. In connection with the upcoming examinations, the department
head has directed that the whole teaching staff of the department assemble for
a meeting. As this is an important department meeting, you will have to attend.
Even if you are suffering from fever, you take some aspirin pills and go to the
meeting. This is an obligatory duty and you have no right to cancel this. The
scheduling of this meeting was not in your hands, and once it has been called,
you are expected to attend.
Now, consider an example of family duty. You are in your own house. There is a
small family quarrel between husband and wife. Inside the room, the husband and
wife are having a tiff. She is very angry. Suddenly, the door bell rings and he
goes out to answer it. He finds that a co-worker had dropped by for a casual
visit. As soon as the husband sees the visitor, he greets him with a smile and
a fond hello. He asks the visitor to be seated. With the visitor he is quite
cordial. When he enters the bedroom and tells his wife of the visitor and finds
that she is still very angry with him, he may resume his stern tone. But as soon
as he goes into the other room to meet the colleague who has come by, he carries
on with his friendly conversation. It is his duty to protect the good name of
his family by conducting himself in such a way that an outsider would not know
that he had quarreled with his wife.
If a person who is angry with his wife inside the bedroom comes out into the
living room and irritatedly asks the visitor to leave the house, then the guest
will be appalled. It is important to see to it that the secrets and confidences
of the family are not thrown out into the street. This is an important duty of
a family man. He must be ever vigilant to protect the honor of his family. If
by his indiscretion the family honor is destroyed, then there will be no
happiness for him or his family throughout their lives.
http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/saigita260.html
Sai Baba Gita, Compiled and edited by Al Drucker - Published by Atma Press -
http://www.atmapress.com - ISBN: 0963844903Online Edition:
http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/index.html

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