Chapter 18, Verse 47
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् | स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ||१८-४७||
śreyānsvadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmātsvanuṣṭhitāt . svabhāvaniyataṃ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam ||18-47||
Meaning
18.47 Better is one's own duty (though) destitute of merits, than the duty of another well performed. He who does the duty ordained by his own nature incurs no sin.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna repeats, with deliberate emphasis, one of the Gita's central teachings: better one's own svadharma performed imperfectly than another's dharma performed flawlessly. Doing the work ordained by one's own nature, one incurs no kilbisha, no sin or harm.
The wisdom here is psychological and spiritual. Imitating another's path, however glamorous, violates our own nature and breeds inner conflict, whereas faithfully doing our own work — flaws and all — keeps us aligned and growing. The point is not complacency but authenticity. Perfection is reached by deepening our engagement with our own genuine calling, not by abandoning it to chase a role that belongs to someone else.
💡 Key Takeaway
Doing your own true work imperfectly beats flawlessly performing a path that was never yours.
Related Verses
निश्चयं शृणु मे तत्र त्यागे भरतसत्तम | त्यागो हि पुरुषव्याघ्र त्रिविधः सम्प्रकीर्तितः ||१८-४||
niścayaṃ śṛṇu me tatra tyāge bharatasattama . tyāgo hi puruṣavyāghra trividhaḥ samprakīrtitaḥ ||18-4||
18.4 Hear from Me the conclusion or the final truth about this abandonment, O best of the Bharatas; abandonment, verily, O best of men, has been declared to be of three kinds.
यज्ञदानतपःकर्म न त्याज्यं कार्यमेव तत् | यज्ञो दानं तपश्चैव पावनानि मनीषिणाम् ||१८-५||
yajñadānatapaḥkarma na tyājyaṃ kāryameva tat . yajño dānaṃ tapaścaiva pāvanāni manīṣiṇām ||18-5||
18.5 Acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity should not be abandoned, but should be performed; sacrifice, gift and also austerity are the purifiers of the wise.
एतान्यपि तु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा फलानि च | कर्तव्यानीति मे पार्थ निश्चितं मतमुत्तमम् ||१८-६||
etānyapi tu karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā phalāni ca . kartavyānīti me pārtha niścitaṃ matamuttamam ||18-6||
18.6 But even these actions should be performed leaving aside attachment and the desire for rewards, O Arjuna; this is My certain and best conviction.