Shloka 45

Devanagari script

खेती<, गोपालन” और क्रय-विक्रयरूप सत्य व्यवहार*--ये वैश्यके स्वाभाविक कर्म हैं तथा सब वर्णोकी सेवा करना* शूद्रका भी स्वाभाविक कर्म है ।। सम्बन्ध-- इस प्रकार चारों वर्णोके स्वाभाविक कर्मोका वर्णन करके अब भक्तियुक्त कर्मयोगका स्वरूप और फल बतलानेके लिये, उन कर्मोका किस प्रकार आचरण करनेसे मनुष्य अनायास परम सिद्धिको प्राप्त कर लेता है--यह बात दो शलोकोंमें बतलाते हैं-- स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरत: संसिद्धिं लभते नर: । स्वकर्मनिरत: सिद्धि यथा विन्दति तच्छुणु,अपने-अपने स्वाभाविक कर्मोमें तत्परतासे लगा हुआ मनुष्य भगवत्प्राप्तिरूप परम सिद्धिको प्राप्त हो जाता है?। अपने स्वाभाविक कर्ममें लगा हुआ मनुष्य जिस प्रकारसे कर्म करके परम सिद्धिको प्राप्त होता है, उस विधिको तू सुन

Transliteration

sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ | svakarmanirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tac chṛṇu ||

Translation

Arjuna said: A person who is devoted to his own allotted duty attains complete perfection. Hear from me how one who remains steadfast in his own work reaches that perfection—namely, the highest fulfillment that culminates in realization of the Divine—without abandoning the responsibilities of his station.

Word by Word

स्वेin one’s own

कर्मणिin (one’s) duty/work

अभिरतःengaged/absorbed

संसिद्धिम्perfection/complete attainment

लभतेattains/obtains

नरःa man/person

स्वकर्मनिरतःdevoted to one’s own duty

सिद्धिम्perfection/attainment

यथाhow/as

विन्दतिfinds/attains

तत्that (method/way)

शृणुhear/listen

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Steady dedication to one’s own rightful duty (svakarma/svadharma), performed with the proper inner orientation, becomes a direct means to spiritual perfection rather than an obstacle to it.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of the war-setting discourse, the speaker transitions from describing the natural duties of the four varṇas to explaining how performing one’s own duty can lead to the highest attainment, and invites the listener to hear the method.