Srimad Bhagavatam 07.11.31-Life Of Sripada Ramanujacharya (download mp3)
by HG Malati Mataji at ISKCON Chowpatty
www.iskcondesiretree.net
SB 7.11.31
prayah sva-bhava-vihito
nrnam dharmo yuge yuge
veda-drgbhih smrto rajan
Translation:
My dear King, brahmanas well conversant in Vedic knowledge have given their verdict that in every age [yuga] the conduct of different sections of people according to their material modes of nature is auspicious both in this life and after death.
Purport:
In Bhagavad-gita (3.35) it is said, sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah para-dharmat svanusthitat: "It is far better to discharge one's prescribed duties, even though they may be faulty, than another's duties." The antyajas, the men of the lower classes, are accustomed to stealing, drinking and illicit sex, but that is not considered sinful. For example, if a tiger kills a man, this is not sinful but if a man kills another man, this is considered sinful, and the killer is hanged. What is a daily affair among the animals is a sinful act in human society. Thus according to the symptoms of higher and lower sections of society, there are different varieties of occupational duties. According to the experts in Vedic knowledge, these duties are prescribed in terms of the age concerned.
