18.47
Chapter 18, Verse 47
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्। स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्৷৷
śrēyānsvadharmō viguṇaḥ paradharmātsvanuṣṭhitāt. svabhāvaniyataṅ karma kurvannāpnōti kilbiṣam৷৷
Translation
It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins.
Translation — Purohit Swami
Commentary
श्रेयान् better, स्वधर्मः ones own duty, विगुणः (though) destitute of merits, परधर्मात् that the duty of another, स्वनुष्ठितात् (than) well performed, स्वभावनियतम् ordained by his own nature, कर्म action, कुर्वन् doing, न not, आप्नोति (he) incurs, किल्बिषम् sin. Commentary: Just as a poisonous substance does not harm the worm born in that substance, so he who does his Svadharma (the duty ordained according to his own nature) does not incur any sin.What is poison to the whole world is sweet to a worm and yet sugarcane juice that is sweet causes its death. So a mans appointed duty which frees him from bondage must, therefore, be practised however difficult it may seem to be. If you try to do the duty of another it will bring,danger. He who has no knowledge of the Self cannot remain even for a moment without doing action. (Cf.III.35)
Commentary — Swami Sivananda
Sanskrit and transliteration of the Bhagavad Gita. Corpus compiled from the vedabase and the IIT Kanpur Gita Supersite.