We earlier shared What is SVADHARMA – getting to know Our True Nature which covered Author’s personal journey of how by discovering his Svadharma, he was able to clear the mind, accept himself for what he is and do what matched with his nature. This has made him happier. It briefly includes Sri Aurobindo’s views on Dharma.
What does word Svadharma mean?
Sva means self and Dharma means duty or righteousness. Sadhguru speaks 6 min
Simply put, it is acting with your nature (svabhava).
What is your Svadharma?
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, “Swadharma is that action which is in accordance with your nature. It is acting in accordance with your skills and talents, your own nature (svabhava), and that which you are responsible for (karma).”
When we behave in a manner that is against our nature it comes across as artificial. Conversely, when we act according to your nature the effort seems seamless.
Simply put, it is doing what is close to your nature. For e.g. if a child with an engineering bent of mind is forced to study medicine or finance it would be against his/her svadhava. Thus, such a child would be unhappy from within, however successful and rich the person becomes.
Which verses in the Holy Gita explain Svadharma?
Chapter 3 verse 35 and Chapter 18 verses 41-48. Excerpts from the Holy Geeta by Gurudev Swami Chinamayananda commentary on the Holy Geeta.
Verse 35 - “Better one’s own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another well-discharged. Better is death in one’s own duty; the duty of another is fraught with dear.”
Gurudev commentary- “Swadharma means the type of vasanas that one discovers in one’s own mind. To act according to one’s own taste, inborn and natural, is the only known method of living in peace and joy, in success and satisfaction.” 203
To act against one’s own vasanas would be Para-dharma and that is dangerous. If I try to be what I am not it is dangerous.
Verse 41 –“Of scholars (Brahmanas), of leaders (Kshatriyas), and of traders (Vaisyas), as also of workers (Sudras), O Parantapa, the duties are distributed according to the qualities born of their nature.”
Gurudev commentary- “By observing a person one can conclude to which class be belongs. Different types of duties are assigned to each of these classes of individuals depending upon their nature (swabhava), which is ordered by the proportion of the gunas (Sattiv, Tamasic, Rajasic) in the make-up of each type of inner equipment.”
Verse 45 – “Devoted, each to his own duty, man attains Perfection. How, engaged in his own duty, he attains Perfection, listen.”
Gurudev commentary – “Each devoted to his duty, man attains perfection. By being loyal to our own level of feelings and ideas, to our own development of consciousness, we can evolve into higher states of self-unfoldment.”
Verse 46 – “From Whom is the evolution of all beings, by Whom all this is pervaded, worshipping Him, with one’s own duty, man attains Perfection.”
Gurudev commentary – “When a man acts according to his ‘nature’ (Swabhava) and station-in-life (Swadharma), his vasanas get exhausted. This exhaustion of the load of vasanas and the consequent sense of joy and relief can be gained only when he learns to work and achieve in a spirit of total self-surrender.”
Verse 47 – “Better is one’s duty (though) destitute of merits, than the duty of another well-performed. He who does the duty ordained by his own nature incurs no sin.”
Gurudev commentary – “It is no use employing our minds in fields which are contrary to our nature. Everyone has a precis place in the scheme of created things. Each one has his own importance and none is to be despised, for, each can do something which the others cannot do well.”
“Everything has a purpose. Not only the good but the bad also are His manifestations and serve His purpose.” Without the Kauravas the Pandavas glory would not be possible.
Verse 48 – “One should not abandon, O Kautenya, the duty to which one is born, though faulty; for, are not all undertaking enveloped by evil, as fire by smoke?”
What did author and thinker Gurcharan Das say on Svadharma?
According to an AI Gemini search, “Das bridges ancient wisdom and the modern corporate world by framing svadharma as the ultimate guide to professional fulfilment and authenticity. The Authentic Calling: Das views svadharma as a ‘vocation’ or a ‘calling’ rather than just a job or a career. It means finding work that aligns deeply with your inherent talents and temperament. Rejecting the ‘Status Script: Many professionals chase careers solely for prestige, money, or parental approval. Das warns that this is paradharma (living someone else's duty), which inevitably leads to modern burnout and a mid-life crisis of meaning.”
What did Maharshi Aurobindo say on Svadharma?
“Every man has in him something divine, something his own, a chance of strength and perfection in however small a sphere, which God offers him to take or refuse. The task is to find it, develop it, and use it. The chief aim of education should be to help the growing soul to draw out that in itself which is best and make it perfect for a noble use.” Source Indian Psychology Institute
How to discover your Svadharma?
D S Reddy wrote out the steps to explore, “Understand Your Nature, Identify your Inner Callings (Vocation and Passion), Assess Your Impact on Others, Listen to Your Conscience, Reflect on Your Life’s Challenges, Understand Your Gunas, Life Stage, Seek Guidance and Align with the Greater Good.”
Councillor gives tips for parents to notice svabhava of their child -
Garima Gupta, a Pune based Councillor and mother of two teenagers says observe your child-1. Shy or vivacious, 2. Works well with others or solo player, 3. Learns by movement, reading, listening or thinking deeply, 4. Easy with words or not, 5. Easy with numbers or not, 6. Memory better for facts, numbers, historical stories or spaces, 7. Excited when playing with which kind of toys, 8. Enjoys logic and scientific principles, 9. Musical abilities, and 10. In what kind of activities does their body sink and energy become low.
She adds that it is important to give children vast exposure to various experiences- museums, poetry, dance and theatre recitals, libraries, sports events, exhibitions etc to notice which way they gravitate. Because kids are born with svabhava. When nurtured they blossom like a lotus in a pond and a sweet pea on a vine.
My experience on how Svadharma changes with stages of life.
I was good with numbers so Father said become a Chartered Accountant. For nearly fourteen years post qualifying, I worked and took to Finance just as a fish takes to water. However, after about twelve years I was looking for something else. Then a transformative yatra to Mount Kailash happened. Thereafter, read books on Culture, History, Spirituality, Ayurveda, History, Law etc. The desire to share arose. Thus, eSamskriti.com was born.
Whilst retaining the learnings of a Chartered Accountant, I was closer to my inner calling. Motivation came from within. Work was Meditation. I started writing like never before. Compared to my peers I was poorer, yet I had enough to be grateful. My work was an offering to the Divine.
How does Svadharma apply to India as a nation?
Sri Aurobindo said, “If India becomes an intellectual province of Europe, she will never attain to her natural greatness or fulfil the possibilities within her. Paradharmo bhayavahah, to accept the dharma of another is perilous; it deprives the man or the nation of its secret of life and vitality and substitutes an unnatural and stunted growth for the free, large and organic development of Nature. Whenever a nation has given up the purpose of its existence, it has been at the cost of its growth.” Source Indian Psychology Institute
Love and Light
Also read
1. Swami Vivekananda on Svadharma