Sanskrit · Devanagari
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्। स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥
Sanskrit · IAST
śreyānsvadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmātsvanuṣṭhitāt svabhāvaniyataṃ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam
English witness
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882One's duty, though defective, is better than another's duty well performed. Performing the duty prescribed by nature, one does not incur sin.
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29 translations and commentaries are aligned to this verse. Choose up to three; the root verse and Telang witness stay above them.
Śaṅkarācārya
।।18.47।। --,श्रेयान् प्रशस्यतरः स्वो धर्मः स्वधर्मः? विगुणोऽपि इति अपिशब्दो द्रष्टव्यः? परधर्मात्। स्वभावनियतं स्वभावेन नियतम्? यदुक्तं स्वभावजमिति? तदेवोक्तं स्वभावनियतम् इति यथा विषजातस्य कृमेः विषं न दोषकरम्? तथा स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन् न आप्नोति किल्बिषं पापम्।।स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वाणो विषजः इव कृमिः किल्बिषं न आप्नोतीति उक्तम् परधर्मश्च भयावहः इति? अनात्मज्ञश्च न हि कश्चित्क्षणमपि अकर्मकृत्तिष्ठति (गीता 3।5) इति। अतः --,
2aabe40d846e…Rāmānuja
18.47 One's proper Dharma is that which is suitable for performance by oneself, in the form of worshipping Myself, relinishing agency etc., as has been taught. For, Karma Yoga, consisting in the activities of sense organs, is easy to perform by one in association with Prakrti. Thus, Karma Yoga, even if it is defective in some respects, is better than the Dharma of another, i.e., than Jnana-yoga, even for a person capable of controlling his senses, which is an attainment liable to negligence, because it consists of control over all sense-organs; for, though this may be well performed occasionaly, one is always liable to deflection from it. He explains the same: As Karma consists of the activities of the sense-organs, it is ordained by Nature for one who is conjoined with Prakrti, i.e., the body. So by performing Karma Yoga one does not incur any stain. But Jnana Yoga is liable to negligence, because it reires the control of the senses from the very beginning for its performance. One intent on it is likely to incur stain from negligence. [Thus we are reminded about what was mentioned in the third chapter - that Karma Yoga alone is greater.]
4297820f5af8…Swami Sivananda
18.47 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)
1d04f4b66eb4…These supplied texts come from the pinned VedicScriptures dataset under GPL-3.0 and await independent alignment review.