Shloka 47

Devanagari script

सम्बन्ध-- पूर्वश्लोकर्में यह बात कही गयी कि मनुष्य अपने स्वाभाविक कमाद्वारा परमेश्वरकी पूजा करके परम सिद्धिको पा लेता है; इसपर यह शंका होती है कि यदि कोई क्षत्रिय अपने युद्धादि क्रूर कर्मोको न करके; ब्राह्मणोंकी भाँति अध्यापनादि शान्तिमय कर्मोसे अपना निर्वाह करके परमात्माको प्राप्त करनेकी चेष्टा करे या इसी तरह कोई वैश्य या शूद्र अपने कर्मोको उच्च वर्णोके कर्मोंसे हीन समझकर उनका त्याग कर दे और अपनेसे ऊँचे वर्णकी वृत्तिसे अपना निर्वाह करके परमात्माको प्राप्त करनेका प्रयत्न करे तो उचित है या नहीं। इसपर दूसरेके धर्मकी अपेक्षा स्वधर्मकों श्रेष्ठ बतलाकर उसके त्यागका निषेध करते हैं-- श्रेयान्‌ स्वधर्मोर्ट विगुण: परधर्मात्‌ स्वनुछितात्‌ । स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्रोति किल्बिषम्‌,अच्छी प्रकार आचरण किये हुए दूसरेके धर्मसे5 गुणरहित भी अपना धर्म श्रेष्ठ है;> क्योंकि स्वभावसे नियत किये हुए स्वधर्मरूप कर्मको करता हुआ मनुष्य पापको नहीं प्राप्त होताः

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca — śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt | svabhāvaniyataṁ karma kurvann āpnoti kilbiṣam ||

Translation

Arjuna said: One’s own duty, even if imperfectly endowed with qualities, is better than another’s duty, even when performed well. For a person who carries out the work fixed by their own nature does not incur moral fault. In the ethical context of the epic, this affirms that abandoning one’s rightful station and responsibilities—out of fear, imitation, or a mistaken sense of superiority/inferiority—creates inner disorder, whereas faithfully doing one’s own role (even with limitations) aligns action with one’s nature and avoids blameworthy transgression.

Word by Word

śreyānbetter, superior

sva-dharmaḥone's own duty

apieven, although

viguṇaḥdeficient in qualities; imperfect

para-dharmātthan another's duty; from others' duty

su-anuṣṭhitātwell-performed

svabhāva-niyataṃfixed/ordained by one's nature

karmaaction, work

kurvandoing, performing

nanot

āpnotiattains, incurs

kilbiṣamsin, fault

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?

The verse teaches the primacy of svadharma: it is ethically safer and spiritually sounder to perform one’s own prescribed duty—even imperfectly—than to adopt another’s duty merely because it appears superior or is performed more skillfully. Acting in harmony with one’s innate nature (svabhāva) avoids kilbiṣa (moral fault).

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna raises a practical moral doubt about whether one may abandon their own social and personal duty (e.g., a warrior avoiding battle to imitate peaceful occupations) in pursuit of spiritual attainment. The response emphasizes that renouncing one’s rightful responsibilities in favor of another’s path is not praised; steadfast performance of one’s own role is upheld.