Mahabharata 6.46.45 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 46, Shloka 45
भीष्मविक्रमदर्शनं तथा क्रौञ्चारुणव्यूहविधानम् | Bhīṣma’s Ascendancy and the Organization of the Krauñcāruṇa Formation
खेती<, गोपालन” और क्रय-विक्रयरूप सत्य व्यवहार*--ये वैश्यके स्वाभाविक कर्म हैं तथा सब वर्णोकी सेवा करना* शूद्रका भी स्वाभाविक कर्म है ।।
sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ | svakarmanirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tac chṛṇu ||
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.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.
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