249. Dropping Comparisons

 

The spiritual path of self-discovery (moksha) is not about acquiring something greater, rather it is about dropping the dust we gathered during our lifetimes and hatred is among such dust. Krishna earlier told us to drop hatred while performing our karmas and described nitya-sannyasi (perpetual renunciant) as the one who drops both desires and hatred by inculcating the divine quality of forgiveness (16.3).

The root cause for desire is our divisive mind which keeps comparing what we don’t have and what others have. Krishna advises dropping this comparison and says, “Better is swa-dharma (own nature or reality), though without merit, than well performed para-dharma (other’s nature or reality); performing action ordained by one’s nature one incurs no sin” (18.47). This is in continuation to what Krishna had earlier said in this context, that swa-dharma is superior to well accomplished para-dharma even when the former is devoid of merit. It’s better to die in swa-dharma than to be fraught with fear in para-dharma (3.35). This is an assurance from Lord Krishna that performing action ordained by one’s nature one incurs no sin.

This is nothing but dropping our desire to be someone else or to have something other than what we have. Certainly, this doesn’t prevent us from learning from others as Krishna encourages us to be a good student through prostration, questioning and service (4.34). Just as a rose can learn many things from a lotus regarding growth and survival but a rose can never become a lotus. 

Aligning with swa-dharma is to live in tune with ‘existence’ where our karmas are no longer ours but of ‘existence’, hence we incur no sin. It’s like how a rose doesn’t need to put extra effort to blossom, as it happens naturally. It is living a life where the sense of self-worth doesn’t come from being compared.