Times have changed

The Bhagavad Gita dates to a time when a person's duty or dharma was determined by caste and birth. In today's world, caste or birth is losing its significance. In fact, the caste system is seen as an evil that is dragging the country down and dividing the people.

Today, dharma or duty is not based on caste. Even so, the universal and timeless principle of Karma Yoga (do your duty, not based on the results) as expounded by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita rings true even today, even though the factors that determine 'dharma' have changed. Today our duty is to contribute to society and humanity according to the best of our capabilities. To determine our duty, we must first know our strengths and talents. Once known, our duty is to apply our talents in the manner by which we can best contribute to humanity.

In the time of Arjuna and Krishna, people of different caste and tendencies are prescibed different paths (bhakti, jnana etc), because people's duty and manner of performing it was determined by birth. Today, the constitutions of democratic nations declare all human beings as equal. Hence there is a need for one path (which accomodates aspects of each of the paths) that can be followed universally by anyone to reach the ultimate goal of perfection, which would be attainable by all.