WHEN VASUDEVA SRI KRSNA DIRECTED ARJUNA IN KURUKSETRA ‘MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS’

Commonly flaunted dictum ‘Mind your own business’ enjoys an ‘Adhyatmic’ aspect as ‘your own’ hints at your inner Self i.e. Atma while ‘own business’, ones ‘Svadharma’. It is a versatile directive reminding one of his/her bounden responsibilities which has been termed as ‘Svadharma’ i.e. ones own ‘Dharma’, mandatory and pre-ordained based on ones ‘Guna-s’ and ‘Varna’ to sustain the righteous order of life. Instead of attempting to correct others or the external world, if one zeroes in on ones own ‘Dharma’, world may become a paradise to dwell in owing to the aggregation of everybodys ‘Svadharma’ into a huge collective synchrony. The doctrine of ‘Svadharma’ is the crux of entire wisdom of Bhagvad Gita delivered to Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra by Vasudeva Shri Krshna when Arjuna disowned his ‘Svadharma’ by declining to enter into combat with his kins. 

One is supposed to mind ones own business absolutely dispassionately irrespective of consequences in the state of resolute indifference to proceeds. When the ‘sense of passion’ impregnates ‘ones own business’, then ‘ones own business’ expands inclusive of others businesses too involving apprehension of failure as well as burst of celebratory joy. The ‘sense of dispassion’ allows one to undertake objective assessment of ones own deficiencies and probable causes of failure too leading to adoption of remedial measures. So the business of minding ones own business does not allow one to indulge in fault-hunting or carping at others. Ethical and righteous occupational conduct is obligatory for all and no one can escape from the mandate on the pretext of others being indifferent or altogether defiant. Adhyatmic Guru-s emphasize on entire ‘mind your own business’ being as much selfless as possible. If one has been able to attain the state of utter dispassion and detachment, precious ‘Adhyatmic’ gem has been attained in the form of inner sanctity. ‘Mind your own business’ necessarily entails supremacy of ones ascetic pursuits over and above any external indulgence, mandates one and all to be ‘Sakshi’ i.e. detached beholder of all shenanigans in the world as a grand cosmic entertainment. 

Human life is exceedingly distressed in the midst of complex delusion galore caused by ignorance then indifference towards ones ‘Svadharma’. When ‘Svadharma’ is neglected, inner guidance in the form of intuition, an enlightened silence is lost in the cacophony of mental uproar. ‘Svadharma’ is the outcome of ones ‘Guna-s’ accumulated, level of consciousness, perspicacity of thinking process and values of life being pursued never to be governed by preferred comforts. Ones ‘Svadharma’ howsoever imperfect, must always be pursued instead of others ‘Svadharma’ even if impeccably perfect. ‘Dharma’ is a multifaceted, multidimensional and dynamic entity that evolves continually with respect to varying factors. ‘Svadharma’ exists within the domain of ‘Dharma’ without violating eternal core values of ‘Dharma’ whose understanding is constantly under improvement with deepening of ‘Sattvik’ disposition, growing inward alignment and innermost truth. 

‘Svadharma’ of Arjuna in the battlefield of Kuruksetra was to combat and decimate ‘Adharma’ embodied by his own kins whose ‘Svadharma’ was not at all to indulge in unrighteousness. Gravity and inevitability of ‘Svadharma’ was explained to him in explicit terms which demanded to slay his own kins as they were determined not to honour their own ‘Svadharma’. And that was the crux and core of business that Arjuna was under inescapable obligation to accomplish notwithstanding the bloodbath so extensive that it wiped out substantial human population from the planet.