Hare Krishna dear devotees....this is an important question....When Krishna says to Arjuna to do his prescribed duties.....what does that means to us....How can we find our prescribed duty today...like someone is engineer, doctor, cobbler, fisherman....does each and every work constitute one's prescribed duty....or does it refer only to varnashram duties....so how can we say that an engineer's duty of advancing technological items is his prescribed duties or a cricketer playing cricket is his prescribed duty bcoz cricket and technology are not mentioned in the scriptures...How can we see that what we do is in accordance with the scriptures...like scriptures don't talk about using laptop...so is using laptop our prescribed duty??
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No, fisherman is outside varnas.
Regarding engineer (vaishya) creating pollution to the environment - it is mentioned in the Gita that doing one's own prescribed duty, even with faults, is better than doing another's duty perfectly.
Every prescribed duty will have some or the other fault.
I hope I have been able to explain.
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
Bar waiter, egg seller, butcher - these are actually condemned activities - maybe below varnas altogether. This cannot be prescribed duty.
Therefore it is said - vedic culture begins with varnashram dharma. Most societies do not fit into this basic of vedic culture at all in today's world. Thats why Kaliyuga is the yuga of the sudras (at best).
Dont worry about asking questions. We are here to answer them only. If you have any further questions, even if I cant answer, there are enough devotees here who can answer to your satisfaction.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
What you have asked is very relevant. To answer, we have to understand the varnas.
Brahman class - studies scriptures, does pujari service, does various pujas for people like you and me on various ocassions. This is their livelihood - no other income.
Kshatriya class - they are in the defence forces of the country.
Vaishya class - krishi, go rakshya & vanijyam - farming, cow protection and business - this is waht they do. So all our farmers and businessmen will come in this category.
Sudra class - the class that serves the above 3, mainly does menial work.
The confusion you have is between vaishya and sudra - if all the professions mentioned by you - engineer, doctor, cobbler, fisherman - if they are doing it for themselves, as in own professional business, then they are vaishyas, else they are sudras. It is said that Kaliyuga is the age of sudras - therefore there is so much advancement in different fields of specialisation whihc will help us get jobs. All jobs are sudra class prabhuji. Cricketer - now in earlier times, there were no professions which was sportsmen. The wrestlers that Kamsa had were on his payroll - sudras. So the same wiht the sportsmen of today - they are sudra class, unless they are independent. Then they are vaishya class.
Whatever work one is doing is one's prescribed duty, very much within varnashram, as explained above. Scriptures may not have mentioned engineers or sportsmen, but the basic principle has been given and we can understand based on that.
Regarding using laptops, it could be an act of sanyas, an act of brahman or kshatriya or vaishya or sudra, depending on what use the laptop is being put to. Scriptures are not nit picking prabhuji - they have given the brad guidelines and we have to function within them.
I hope I have been able to explain. If you have any further queries, pls ask.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
The duty of every human being is to adore God and doing austerities instead sense gratification.
Anyway, those in illusion who think to be doers of activities should give up the results of work no matter what they do.
In this way they can be gradually liberated, otherwise attachment and bondage will push deeper into black hole of illusion.
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