Swadharma

Osho, what is a human being’s swadharma and what is paradharma?

Krishna uses two words. Both need to be understood correctly. One is swadharma, and one is svakarma. Swadharma means what you are in your ultimate innermostness—the fundamental tone of your nature. Where all thought has fallen away, all action has fallen away, and a deep emptiness remains—the intrinsic quality of that inner void is called swadharma. This means that swadharma is, in truth, the same. My swadharma and your swadharma cannot be different, because when I reach that station, I find the same emptiness that you find. But that is the ultimate event, the last happening. Krishna, Buddha, and Christ have all attained the same void, the same pure suchness. But there is no way to see that from the outside; it is an inner experience. There is no outer sign by which to recognize it. From the outside, what can be recognized is your svakarma. That is different for…

Osho, in your discussion of swadharma and nij-dharma, the first part of the verse says that swadharma, even when vigun, is still superior. If swadharma means one’s ownness, how can it be vigun—without qualities? Can any ownness be without qualities?

Stronger, stronger—let the whole valley resound. Dance, shout—strongly. A few seconds remain—give your total energy, give your total energy. Dance, laugh, shout—give your total energy… Very good, very good—just a few seconds more—give your all… Now enter the third stage. Keep dancing; within, ask: Who am I? Keep dancing; within, ask: Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? In ten minutes, tire out the mind. Ask: Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?… Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Raise a storm—raise a storm within. Dance and ask within: Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Let there be only one question within. Dance and ask: Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Ask, ask—within, deeper and deeper and deeper: Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?… Who am I? Who…

Osho, you say: Dharma is one, samadhi is one, the Divine is one, but swadharmas are many. How are these two reconciled? Please clarify.

These are the three elements to which India gave these names. The West calls them electron, proton, neutron—give any names; it makes no difference. What is established is that the ultimate analysis of life falls into three forces. Hence we gave them many names. Those who thought scientifically called them rajas, tamas, sattva. Those who thought metaphorically, poetically, said: Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh. Their work is the same. Brahma is the creative force; Vishnu sustains; Shiva destroys. Without all three, nothing can be. Electron, neutron, proton do these three jobs as well. The electron is negative—like Shiva, it negates, breaks, destroys. The proton is positive—like Brahma, it builds. The neutron is neither negative nor positive; it sustains, stands between, balances. Krishna says: within man—whatever happens, inner or outer—is play of these three forces. According to them, all occurs. One is pushed, restrained, born, dies, laughs, weeps—these are the work of the…

Osho, you explained that one has to rise from tamas to rajas, and then from rajas to sattva. It is also said that living in one’s swadharma is the goal of dharma. So if someone’s swadharma is rajasic, must he abandon his swadharma and rise to sattva?

No guna is swadharma. The gunas are outer coverings. Swadharma means going into one’s own nature. That is beyond the gunas. Rajas, tamas, or sattva are not swadharma; they are superimpositions upon dharma. If someone has an iron covering, that is tamas. If someone has a silver covering, that is rajas. If someone has a golden covering, that is sattva. But all three are coverings. Inside, what is hidden is beyond the gunas; swadharma is there. So do not interpret swadharma in terms of qualities. Swadharma is like the sky. You will recognize it only by entering it; it has no quality. Swadharma has no quality; its very being is the state beyond qualities. Therefore everyone has to rise from tamas, from rajas, and even from sattva. And ultimately, one has to attain swadharma. Now this swadharma—neither has it anything to do with Hinduism, nor with Islam, nor with Jainism—swadharma…