Duties for a pious life (Taittiriya Upanisad 1.11)
The Vedas prescribe different types of material duties to be performed according to one’s nature and activities. These duties should be performed as long as we have material desires.
Section 11: Duties for a pious life
The Vedas prescribe different types of material duties to be performed according to one’s nature and activities. These duties should be performed as long as we have material desires. One who is in family life, for example, has to perform different duties connected with the maintenance of his family, the education of the children, taking care of elderly parents, etc. and these duties should not be neglected. If we start considering ourselves transcendental to all rules and morality, while still under the influence of material desires, our material lust will make us act sinfully, which will push us away from Krsna and create all kinds of social disturbances. To just perform duties without a high purpose is not such an elevated platform, but when we perform our duties with a spirit of detachment and as an offering to the Lord (as described in the Bhagavad-gita) the result is spiritual realization
These ordinary duties may be discarded only when one ascends to a pure platform and is prepared to dedicate himself 100% to the practice of Krsna Consciousness. Since this is the highest dharma, when one ascends to this platform there is no need to separately follow moral principles. Due to his purity, he will automatically have no desire of performing any sinful activity and by serving Krsna he performs the best service to family and humanity.
Text 1.11.1
vedam anūcyācāryo ’ntevāsinam anuśāsti
satyam vada dharmam cara , svādhyāyān mā pramadaḥ
ācāryāya priyam dhanam āhṛtya prajātantum mā vyavacchetsīḥ
satyān na pramaditavyam, dharmān na pramaditavyam
kuśalān na pramaditavyam , bhūtyai na pramaditavyam
svādhyāya-pravacanābhyām na pramaditavyam
A teacher well versed in the Vedas teaches the following to the brahmacari students who live in his house: Speak the truth, follow the path of dharma. Do not be negligent while studying the Vedas. After finishing your studies, offer a good dakshina to the teacher. Find a suitable wife and beget good children to continue your family's lineage. Do not be inattentive to truth, do not be inattentive to dharma. Do not be inattentive to the pious activities meant for gaining wealth, do not be inattentive to the study and teaching of the scriptures.
Commentary: This session explains pious duties that allow one to follow a pious life. As long as one is still acting on the material platform, one should maintain a pious life, following the principles of the scriptures.
In the Vārṇāśrama system, after being trained as a brahmacari, one has the choice of entering family life, or remaining a celibate student under the guru and later directly accepting sannyasa. This is not just a capricious choice but is connected with one's nature and qualifications. One who is free from material desires will be naturally attracted to the renounced life, while another who has still material desires is recommended to accept a wife and live as a dutiful householder. Krsna explains this point in the Bhagavad-gita (3.5-9):
"Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he has acquired from the modes of material nature; therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment.
One who restrains the senses of action but whose mind dwells on sense objects certainly deludes himself and is called a pretender.
On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Kṛṣṇa consciousness] without attachment, he is by far superior.
Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One cannot even maintain one’s physical body without work.
Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise, work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way, you will always remain free from bondage."
One who accepts the renounced order can dedicate himself 100% to the practice of Krsna Consciousness. Since this is the highest dharma, one does not have to perform other material duties. However, one who is in family life has to perform different duties connected with the maintenance of his family, the education of the children, taking care of elderly parents, etc. These duties should be executed in the spirit of the instructions of the Bhagavad-gita, as an offering to Krsna, and not neglected.
If one starts to consider himself transcendental to all rules and morality, while still under the influence of lust and material desires, the result is that one starts acting in immoral ways, with disastrous results.
Text 1.11.2
deva-pitṛ-kāryābhyām na pramaditavyam
mātṛ-devo bhava pitṛ-devo bhava
ācārya-devo bhava atithi-devo bhava
yāny anavadyāni karmāṇi tāni sevitavyāni no itarāṇi
yāny asmākam sucaritāni tāni tvayopāsyāni no itarāṇi
One should not be inattentive to pious material duties. One should treat his mother, his father, and his guru as representatives of God. Guests who come to one house should be treated like the Lord Himself. One should perform all pious activities and faultless actions, and not other actions.
Commentary: When one is completely engaged in serving the Lord, he becomes free from material duties, because there is no duty higher than serving the Lord. Devotional service is the highest dharma. However, as long as one is not acting on this platform, he should perform his material and spiritual duties to not risk falling back into a sinful life. Krsna also speaks on this topic in the third chapter of the Bhagavad-gita (3.10-16):
"In the beginning of creation, the Lord of all creatures sent forth generations of men and demigods, along with sacrifices for Viṣṇu, and blessed them by saying, “Be thou happy by this yajña [sacrifice] because its performance will bestow upon you everything desirable for living happily and achieving liberation.”
The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, and thus, by cooperation between men and demigods, prosperity will reign for all.
In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being satisfied by the performance of yajña [sacrifice], will supply all necessities to you. But he who enjoys such gifts without offering them to the demigods in return is certainly a thief.
The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.
All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.
Regulated activities are prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedas are directly manifested from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Consequently the all-pervading Transcendence is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice.
My dear Arjuna, one who does not follow in human life the cycle of sacrifice thus established by the Vedas certainly leads a life full of sin. Living only for the satisfaction of the senses, such a person lives in vain."
Even if one is on a pure platform, if one is in family life one should still perform his material duties to give example to others. Krsna also explains this in the Bhagavad-gita (3.20-26):
"Kings such as Janaka attained perfection solely by performance of prescribed duties. Therefore, just for the sake of educating the people in general, you should perform your work. Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.
O son of Pṛthā, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three planetary systems. Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I a need to obtain anything – and yet I am engaged in prescribed duties.
For if I ever failed to engage in carefully performing prescribed duties, O Pārtha, certainly all men would follow My path. If I did not perform prescribed duties, all these worlds would be put to ruination. I would be the cause of creating unwanted population, and I would thereby destroy the peace of all living beings.
As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, the learned may similarly act, but without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path. So as not to disrupt the minds of ignorant men attached to the fruitive results of prescribed duties, a learned person should not induce them to stop work. Rather, by working in the spirit of devotion, he should engage them in all sorts of activities [for the gradual development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness]."
Arjuna is a pure devotee and eternal associate of the Lord. However, because he was in the position of Ksatriya and a family man, Krsna still instructed him to perform his duties, despite these qualifications, to give a good example to others. The Bhagavad-gita, however, teaches us how one can perform such duties while remaining completely absorbed in Krsna Consciousness, by performing all these actions as an offering to the Lord.
Text 1.11.3
ye ke cāsmāc chreyāmso brāhmaṇāḥ
teṣām tvayā ’sanena praśvasitavyam
śraddhayā deyam, aśraddhayā ’deyam
śriyā deyam, hriyā deyam, bhiyā deyam, samvidā deyam
One should treat brahmanas and other superior persons with respect. One should offer them gifts and a place to sit. This should be offered with faith, with a smiling face, with humility, with full attention, and in full agreement.
Commentary: In the Krsna Book, there is a description of Krsna receiving Sudama when he visited the Lord's palace in Dvaraka. Although Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and no one is above Him, still, he gives us the proper example:
"At that time, Lord Kṛṣṇa was sitting on the bedstead of Queen Rukmiṇī. Even from a considerable distance He could see the brāhmaṇa coming to His home, and He could recognize him as His friend. Lord Kṛṣṇa immediately left His seat and came forward to receive His brāhmaṇa friend and, upon reaching him, embraced the brāhmaṇa with His two arms. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all transcendental pleasure, yet He Himself felt great pleasure upon embracing the poor brāhmaṇa because He was meeting His very dear friend. Lord Kṛṣṇa had him seated on His own bedstead and personally brought all kinds of fruits and drinks to offer him, as is proper in receiving a worshipable guest. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the supreme pure, but because He was playing the role of an ordinary human being, He immediately washed the brāhmaṇa’s feet and, for His own purification, sprinkled the water onto His head. After this the Lord smeared the body of the brāhmaṇa with different kinds of scented pulp, such as sandalwood, aguru and saffron. He immediately burned several kinds of scented incense and, as is usual, offered him ārati with burning lamps. After thus offering him an adequate welcome and after the brāhmaṇa had taken food and drink, Lord Kṛṣṇa said, “My dear friend, it is a great fortune that you have come here." (KB ch. 80)
Text 1.11.4
atha yadi te karma-vicikitsā vā vṛtta-vicikitsā vā syāt
ye tatra brāhmaṇāḥ sammarśinaḥ
yuktā āyuktāḥ, alūkṣā dharma-kāmāḥ syuḥ
yathā te tatra varteran, tathā tatra vartethāḥ
When there is any doubt about duties or how to perform one's work or earn one's livelihood, one should follow the example of these brahmanas who are experts in deliberation, who are righteous, well versed in the scriptures, and competent in world affairs, who are devoid of anger and without greed and who act in exemplary ways.
Commentary: The basic principle of Vedic culture is to receive knowledge from superior persons. Not only are brahmanas and other elders more learned in the scriptures than a younger person, but they also have a better understanding of the practical application of this knowledge in dealing with the perplexities of life. By receiving instructions from them, observing and following their example, we can not only obtain good advice but absorb their knowledge and experience. One should, however, not be a blind follower. One should follow persons who show good qualities, such as being free from greed and anger, and who act in exemplary ways.
As Prabhupada mentions in his purport to Bg 4.34, both absurd inquiries and blind following are condemned: “In this verse, both blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned. One should not only hear submissively from the spiritual master; but one must also get a clear understanding from him, in submission and service and inquiries.”
We can see that there is a delicate balance between inquiring submissively from the spiritual master and other spiritual authorities and being a blind follower. One should surrender using his intelligence, and not surrender his intelligence.
Being submissive means being respectful and deeply considering the knowledge we are receiving, but at the same time asking relevant questions and clarifying all doubts before accepting something. In other words, submissive inquiry is the process of acquiring spiritual knowledge using our intelligence and making conscious choices and changes based on this knowledge, while blind following means to stop using our intelligence and mechanically follow some charismatic leader.
Devotional service is something that can’t be forced or imposed. It’s not possible to force a person to love someone: love can only be given voluntarily. Therefore, freedom is a prerequisite for love. Love must be the result of a conscious choice: I’m free to stay or to go away, and I choose to stay.
This is a point very deeply discussed in the Jaiva Dharma, where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that free will is the very thing that distinguishes spirit souls from dead matter. Free will is ultimately what allows a soul to love Krsna, and therefore Krsna doesn’t interfere with the free will of the soul. We are free to serve Him or not, and devotional service has to be the fruit of a conscious choice.
Text 1.11.5
athābhyākhyāteṣu
ye tatra brāhmaṇāḥ sammarśinaḥ, yuktā āyuktāḥ
alūkṣā dharma-kāmāḥ syuḥ
yathā te teṣu varteran, tathā teṣu vartethāḥ
Concerning persons of a bad reputation, one should act according to what is done by such skillful and righteous brahmanas, observing their example and acting like them.
Commentary: What to do about people who act in improper ways? How to relate to them? The best is to just follow the example of learned persons. They know how to react to unexpected situations based on time, place, and circumstance, taking into consideration different religious principles and other factors. We should deal with them in the same way such learned persons do.
Text 1.11.6
eṣa ādeśaḥ , eṣa upadeśaḥ , eṣā vedopaniṣat
etadanuśāsanam evamupāsitavyam evamu caitadupāsyam
This is the instruction, this is the teaching. This is the secret knowledge of the Vedas. This is what should be practiced, respected, and worshiped.