Which is better duty or respect? Very amazing comparison and a remote one too. Deeksha Sharma has nicely compiled the views of youngsters this week for krrisha.com, but there are mixed reactions which show we are a little confused over the issue.
What is duty?
It is called kartavyam in Sanskrit. Oh I have a duty towards my dependents, nation…(this is what we gather from duty). No you have duty towards yourself first.
Anything which you can’t do without in a given situation is called kartavyam. There is no option—nirvikalpah asti. Breathing, eating, sleeping, making efforts anything, all come into the category of kartavyam at the most basic individual level. When you can’t do without them then others too can’t do without them. Whatever universally and generally applies is actually the kartavyam. The rest is just a misunderstanding in the name of kartavyam.
You need the air to breathe, others too need it. Therefore, effort to preserve and protect the air is kartavyam. You can’t live without food and others too can’t do without it. Therefore, preserving and producing food is kartavyam. You can’t do without the body. Others too can’t do without it. Therefore, protecting body, keeping it healthy is kartavyam.
What comes out as a rule now is that whatever one can’t do without at an individual and universal level, is kartavyam, all else is secondary.
What is respect?
People use the word self-respect for it. But, they really don’t understand what it is. Is it protecting or standing for your self, your ego, your identity, your pride? What is it? But, this is what you all think it is. No. It is observing kartavyam at the individual and universal levels. When you feed yourself well and others around you, you are respecting your body and others too. When you give your senses a healthy entertainment and share it with others, you are respecting your senses and others’ too. When you feed yourself with good thoughts and others around you, you are respecting your mind and others’ too. When you feed your intellect with healthy perception and help others do it, this is respecting your intellect and others’ too. When you feed your ego by practising and executing healthy activities and help others do it, you respect your ego and others’ too. This performance of kartavyam adds up to respecting yourself and others. This is called self-respect.
Self-respect is not just respecting yourself but also respecting others. Make it clear in your mind. Because this energy alone will convert into strength when you face an enemy or a disrespecting person. What should you do when you face a disrespecting person? Respect him as a person, face him with that energy as a challenge till you overcome him and he begins to respect you and himself. This is science. We will come to it some other time. This comes from the principle—yuddhaswam vigatajwarah.
Duty vs respect
There is no versus in the two. Without proper execution of the principle of kartavyam, you can’t respect yourself and others and hence if you do kartavyam in the right sense of the term you are respecting yourself and the universe at the same time. Definitely kartavyam and not duty comes first!
Shree Krishna reveals this all through shloka 29 of discourse 6. The person who performs kartavyam—(yuktaahaara vihaar etc, called yoga acharanam) sees himself in all and all in himself. What a beautiful idea! It says it all. When you do kartavyam, you automatically respect all as you begin to see yourself in them and them in yourself.
So forget duty, as you think it is today, follow kartavyam and respect will naturally manifest.
Vivek Sharma
Editor-In-Chief
krrisha.com
Duty is responsibility or an obligation to fulfill one's task. Choosing duty over self respect is totally circumstantial . It's only the circumstances which can force one to perform one's duty otherwise one would definitely choose self respect. Self respect is one 's pride and confidence in oneself. It's the actual worth of an individual . If one is sacrificing it for duty then it's circumstantial.
Inference: Self respect is always the first choice of an individual. Duty we perform under the pressure of a circumstance.
Sakshi
Whatever duty you are engaged in or are required to do it should be performed completely, selflessly and to the best of your ability . Doing your duty perfectly entitles you to get the same benefit as got by a 'tapasavi'. It means whatever highest bliss the tapasvi is entitled by virtue of his great penance & tapas , the same bliss is endowed on you by doing your duty dutifully & correctly.No duty is bad or good, A soldier's duty is to kill his enemy and protect his country. No duty is superior or inferior: Because the duty is determined by one's circumstances and environment, and everything is important for smooth functioning of a society, every duty is equal.
What is more imp respect or duty Speaking ethically ones respect should be more important than his duty but in contrast to this i would say that one should also keep this duty a one step up than his respect when he is entitled to perform such duties and according to conditions and circumstances in which he is.
For eg-a soldiers on the border is entitled to perform his duty by killing his enemies.
Morally killing is not a righteous act but still to protect themselves and their countries pride they have to do so.
some acts are right or wrong because of the sorts of things they are, and people have a duty to act accordingly, regardless of the good or bad consequences that may be produced.
Inference: No duty is big or small. Every individual is required to perform their duties for a better functioning society. Respect should be important for a person and duty should be performed keeping in mind good for greater section of the society.
Pranav Shukla
The work that is enjoined on us to be performed in various capacities constitutes our duty. This work benefits everyone by bringing about positive movements, not only for people but also nature. Hence, this becomes the touchstone for assessing the sincerity of one's duty.
Duty and self respect,like other aspects of life are contextual. In a situation where greater good has to be achieved, self respect can be kept on the backseat. Also if it is foreseeable that a big mess could be avoided by giving duty the priority,self respect can be sidestepped. However, if in one's judgement any entity decides to become a repeat offender by choosing to trample upon your self respect, they should be made aware of this unacceptable behaviour. In case they choose not to correct it, some step must be taken to tell them about their misdemeanour loud and clear.
Inference:Duty and self respect,like other aspects of life are contextual. In a situation where greater good has to be achieved, self respect can be kept on the backseat.
Priyanka Verma
Duty is the sense of basic consciousness of your moral or legal obligations towards your nation, it's people and as a human.
Completing our duty is necessary to compensate for the rights we have obtained as human beings. However, it should be carried out in a way to avoid any kind of disrespect or harm to anyone.If a duty is disrespectful towards a person, it should be reconstructed.
One should choose respect of people over their duties because duties can be fulfilled in a way which are morally right and does not disrespect anyone.
Inference: We should choose respect of people over their duties because duties can be fulfilled in a way which are morally right and does not disrespect anyone
Prerna Dhingra
Duty is something that we need to fulfill, it may be professional or domestic or social. However, visioning the duty as responsibility kills the purpose. Duty becomes a burden and hence we start seeing it in a negative light.No. Respect above anything. There is nothing more to be said here.I will always choose my respect. If I cannot keep my head high, I cannot fulfill what I am meant to.
Inference: I would choose respect any day since if i cannot keep my head high, I cannot fulfill what I am meant to do in my life.
Devanshi Nigam
Duty is a moral or legal obligation; a responsibility, which a person is bound to follow. In every situation in every circumstances one should follow it with full determination and compassion in heart.
According to me, one should do his/her work in such a way that she/he should carry one self respect efficiently as a crown, without loosing it and that will prevent a comparison between duty and self-respect and that will prevent us from making compromises in life. Thus one should always be loyal and determined towards duty without putting self respect in danger.
Inference: A person should find out way to accomplish his/her duty without hurting self-respect.
Kushagra Dubey
An action that one is required to perform as part of one's job is duty to me.
Duty is what fetches you respect, undivided allegiance of a Jawan fetches security to the nation. They get respect for what they do. Both of them go hand in hand, they complete each other.
Inference: Both respect and duty go hand in hand.
Tejas Tripathi
Duty is something we're obliged to do, whether we really want to or not; and still for some reason or the other, we have to fulfill it.
Its difficult to opine on whether duty is greater or respect; its more of a subjective choice and varies from person to person. For some, respect is everything and not even duty can change it, for others duty stands above everything, even at the cost of their self respect.
In my opinion, once you take up a task it is your duty to complete it, and others' opinions of you doesn't matter after that.
Inference: Choice between duty and respect is subjective. In my opinion a task which has been taken up should be completed.
Shruti Sinha
Responsibilities of conduct, function or performance that arise from an express or implied contract,or from the fact of holding an office or position can be termed as duty.No, I think respect is not greater than duty.I choose duty with respect.
Inference:I think respect is not greater than duty. I would choose both.
Akanksha Shukla
Duty is about what a man might bind himself to due to social conformity or moral bindings. No, the self must be respected above all for it is our haven till death and is a manifestation of the universe. Respect must be chosen because life is too short to lose a part of self.
Inference: Respect must be chosen because life is too short to lose a part of self and is the manifestation of the universe.
Hemangi Chaturvedi
Duty is something that demands careful attention and responsibility. One must be sincere enough and mentally strong and determined to fulfill a duty. Duty is not something that tend someone to compromise with respect and dignity of the self
Self-respect is greater than duty; in most occasions one execute duties with responsibility to maintain his self-respect.So, in my opinion one should prefer self-respect more than duty.
Inference: Self-respect is greater than duty; in most occasions one execute duties with responsibility to maintain his self-respect.
Bidhan Mondal
A moral/legal obligation toward a responsibility.No
The respect of a person is more important for me than his duty.
Inference:The respect of a person is more important for me than his duty.
Soumava Sen
Duty has two meanings.First- a moral or legal obligation; a responsibility. Second-
a task or action that one is required to perform as part of one's job. Duty is one of the most important and integral part of anyone's life in both terms and one should perform it with full responsibility and honesty. But when it clashes with self-respect then what should we do?According to me if it is clashing with first meaning then we must give the priority to our duty because it is concerned with our relations and society. We should not turn our back from those duties as humanity is above everything. But on the contrary if it is clashing with the second meaning then of course we must give the priority to our self-respect. Because at our workplace one should be loyal to his/her duty but not on the cost of self-respect. In this sense self-respect is above Money, power, authority, insecurity and standard etc.and we must give first priority to self-respect.
Inference: We should not turn our heads away from our duties. Though self-respect should be given priority over money,power, insecurity.
Agrima Saxena
Compiled by Deeksha Sharma
Duty implies responsibilities that a human being undertakes willingly. There is a huge difference between a duty and a job.
This is an individual choice.To some ,self is more important and to some others the responsibilities undertaken are more important.So, it’s for the individual to decide what is more important .As far as my opinion goes, if the duty is something I have undertaken ,I would not care for respect because the aim of my actions should be targeted towards the completion of duty.Respect would follow.I believe respect is directly proportional to the responsibilities one handles.
Respect is something that is a by product of one’s pursuit of duty.
And if on the way of trying to fulfil one’s duty , somebody disrespects you ,take it in stride and laugh it off.Focus on the goal instead.This doesn’t mean that if somebody tries to completely annihilate you,you keep smiling .It’s important to teach such people.But, remember in the process of teaching such people you should not get affected by the process. If you become too angry and lose control over yourself.The aim is defeated. Gita encapsulates the story of every human being writ large. You dive deep you get an answer. You swim superficially you still get an answer and when you come out you carry the ocean in a drop of your existence inebriating everything with that drop.