Yajna

Yajna means sacrifice, selfless service, unselfish work, Seva, meritorious deeds, giving away something to others, and a religious rite in which oblation is offered to gods through the mouth of fire.Human beings are bound by Karma other than those done as Yajna.The one who does not help to keep the wheel of creation in motion by sacrificial duty, and who rejoices in sense pleasures, that sinful person lives in vain. As the ignorant work with attachment (to the fruits of work), so the wise should work without attachment, for the welfare of the society.The wise should not unsettle the mind of the ignorant who is attached to the fruits of work, but the enlightened one should inspire others by performing all works efficiently without attachment.

When an offering is made to others, the motivation of the person making the offering determines whether the offering is yajna or just another selfish act. Some people avoid offering anything to others. They would rather have their financial and other resources lie rotting and be totally underutilized than share them with others. Others have no hesitation in offering financial or other assistance, but only to family, relatives, friends, or flatterers. If the motive is to gratify your own ego, put yourself on a higher moral ground, or expect a favor in return in the future, it is just a selfish act. The criteria on offering assistance to others should be based on who actually deserves the assistance the most. Who will it benefit the most? Can the assistance lead to a transformation in the lives of others, or will it just be a temporary cushion. The wise know that by genuinely offering service and assistance to those who deserve it, and those who will benefit from it, they are doing what is in their best interest automatically without expecting a specific favor or benefit as such. Performing actions in the path of dharma with the spirit of yajna is the right thing to do. How it will benefit the individual is impossible to predict, but that is left to god. Yajna is the essence of Karma Yoga. It is about doing the right thing with the right spirit and trusting god to handle the rest.

What determines one's duty in modern times

Since the caste that one is born into has little relevance today, and one's nature or behavior is not only governed by the caste that one is born into, duty is governed by one's individual nature and talents, as well as the type of action that is required at that time to benefit the world most. For example, peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness are qualities of the brahmanas. A person who has these qualities is a brahmana, irrespective of the caste of his birth. These qualities are defined, however the nature of work is not. Hence, the brahmana can be doing work that is traditionally associated with a kshatriya (military and politics), vaisya (trade and business) or shudra (service and labor), but he can retain the qualities of peacefulness, self-control, honesty etc. The qualities make him a brahmana, not his birth or the nature of work. If the brahmana has talents in leadership and courage, he can take on an occupation that is traditionally associated with a kshatriya. Even if he is a peaceful person, but if the rights of innocents are at stake, and the need of the hour is to defend righteousness, a brahmana can take up arms to protect the innocent and bring about peace in the region. If he has talents in business and if enterprise is required for progress of society, he can do business. He has to choose the occupation in which he has the talents to be of service to others in the best possible manner, while retaining an attitude of self-control and purity.

Lord Krishna had the qualities of peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness. He was born into a Kshatriya family, and raised by a Vaisya family that owned and protected cows. However he had all the best qualities of people from each of the castes. When Lord Krishna does any work (e.g., that of a learned priest, a warrior, a cowherd, or a charioteer), he does it to the best of his ability, and with love. He does not hesitate to even do the work that is typically associated with a person of a lower caste (that of a charioteer) out of love for his devotee Arjuna and for the sake of dharma (righteousness). He knew that he had to do a charioteer's work if he had to help Arjuna and the Pandavas win for the sake of dharma . A model person should be like Krishna. He should have the best qualities of people from each of the castes and should not identify with any caste, attach much significance to a person's caste of birth, or be partial to people from any of the castes. He must use his talents and best qualities to the best of his abilities and perform actions that will be of most benefit to the world.

Behavior of individuals in modern times (Kali Yuga)

The following extracts are from an article on 'Kali Yuga'

Nobility is determined only by the wealth of a person. Law and justice are determined by one's prestige and power. The poor become enslaved by the rich and powerful. Words such as charity and freedom are constantly used by the people, yet are never done.

In Kali Yuga, people are no longer respected for intelligence, knowledge or spiritual wisdom. Instead, material wealth and, to a lesser extent, physical strength, are what make a person highly regarded. Even though respect is shown superficially among the people, no one sincerely respects anyone. Everyone believes that the ultimate goal in life is to be respected, hence becoming wealthy and physically strong.

In Kali Yuga, men question the power of Brahmins, religious ceremonies, the existence of Gods, and the authority of the Vedas. There is no longer any respect towards elders or children.

Most of the Brahmins stop performing religious activities. Like everyone else, they lose all their morality, eat meat (even beef), and start to take in intoxicants

Kshatriyas, the royal and warrior caste, become corrupt and lose their political power. Their leadership falls into the hands of unprincipled rogues, criminals, and terrorists, who use their power to exploit the people. The kings themselves become thieves. They would rather steal from their citizens than protect and defend them.

The Vaishyas, who represent the middle class, merchants, tradesmen and businessmen of society, are now the petty-minded people who conduct business transactions and merchants dishonestly. New types of business-related crimes are formed, such as fraud and counterfeiting. The traders become selfish and try to satisfy their wants before the consumer. The very few who are honest with their business are not successful and eventually become unemployed. Eventually even they resort to cheating to be successful.

Shudras no longer respect any of the higher castes. They are the most worshipped caste in Kali Yuga.