Dharma means to carry out one’s duty. Earlier also I have told that dharma does not mean, that we speculate on one thing and that is our religion, just like Hindu religion, Muslim Religion, I accepted it and that's it. No, religion means, as it is explained in English, duty. You will have to do it, one cannot leave it. Just like a servant he has to take the orders from his master, that is his duty, or else the service will not last for long. Similarly, duty of a living entity as explained by Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Sri Krsna is mamaivamso jiva-bhutah (BG 15.7). Living entity is my fragmental part and parcel. And how is it fragmental part? Like the ansh and anshi. Like my body, your body, and there are different parts of the body, like the hands, legs, eyes, ears, different parts. So what is the function of these parts? The function of eyes is to see, ears duty is to listen. If eyes don’t see then one is called blind. That is not is normal condition, that is not natural. It is the duty of eyes to see. If the eyes are unable to see then that is not normal, that is unnatural, it's a disease. Eyes duty is to see and serve the body. If body wants to walk, then eyes see and informs that walk from here, legs walk. Different body parts have different duties. This is called religion. That is religion of an eye is to see, duty of legs is to walk. Similarly for living entity God says mamaivamso jiva-bhutah, all the living entities all of us, God says we are His parts. So just like different parts of the body are engaged in service of the body, similarly, it is the duty of a living entity to be constantly engaged in service of God, this is the duty.
We are parts of His body, so as God wants, He takes different kinds of service from different demigods, similarly He takes different services from different living entities also. So that is called devotional service -anukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama (CC Madhya 19.167). Devotional service means every living entity has a specific duty towards God. God wants everyone to do a particular duty for Him, that is service. Just like God instructed Arjuna to fight, so to fight was Arjuna's duty. That is devotional service, anukulyena krsnanu-silanam, in a friendly manner, not in animosity. Whatever Krsna has said, you do that. That is what God wants, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekamsaranam vraja (BG 18.66). “Whatever I am saying you listen to that. Surrender on to My feet. ” This is called religion. That is why God says, sarva-dharman parityajya. All the other things that are going on as religion they are all cheating. The real religion is this anukulyena krsnanu- silanam, this is the real religion. As God says do that, God says man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru (BG 18.65) This is your religion, our religion, God Himself is saying, that always think about Me, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, become My devotee, pay obeisances to Me and worship Me, this is what God says. Doing this only is our religion, and whatever else we are doing that is all irreligion. That is why in Bhagavatam it is said dharmah projjhita kaitava atra (SB 1.1.2). All the cheating type of religions, except devotional service, whatever else is going on in the name of religion, all this is kaitava cheating. Real religion is this.