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

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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.

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Sai Baba Gita, Compiled and edited by Al Drucker - Published by Atma Press -

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