Questioner: What is svadharma ? In the Vaishnav religion, it is written that we should remain in the svadharma and not go into pardharma ?

Dadashri: People have not understood the word ‘svadharma' at all. They believe that the Vaishnav religion is svadharma (one's own religion) and that all other religions are pardharma (other's religions). People began to believe that there is danger in following other religions because Lord Krishna said ‘Pardharma bhaiyavah'.But no one has understood svadharma and pardharma. Pardharma is the religion of the body and svadharma is the religion of the Soul, one's own religion. When you bathe this body and you feed it and make it do fasts it is all dehadhrama, all these activities pertain to the religion of the non-self. None of it belongs to the Atma ; it is not svadharma . This Atma is your own svaroop (your own natural form). Lord Krishna has said that when you follow the religion of the svaroop , it is svadharma and when you fast and do other such things, it is religion of the non-self and it does not contain the svaroop .

“My own soul is Krishna .” If one can understand this statement, only then can he be in svadharma (religion of the self). A true Vaishnav is one who recognizes that Krishna is within. No Vaishanv today meets this criterion. There is a bhajan , “The (true) Viashanv is he who…” but you cannot find a single Vaishnav who fits the description in that bhajan !

People claim that they follow the religion of Lord Krishna, but Lord Krishna tells me everyday, “Not a single person amongst these worshippers is my true worshipper. No one abides by my agnas, not even for an hour.”