Shloka 48
भीष्मविक्रमदर्शनं तथा क्रौञ्चारुणव्यूहविधानम् | Bhīṣma’s Ascendancy and the Organization of the Krauñcāruṇa Formation
सहजंएं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् । सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृता:
sahajaṁ karma kaunteya sadoṣam api na tyajet | sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ ||
“O son of Kuntī, one should not abandon the work born of one’s own nature, even if it is flawed; for every undertaking is inevitably veiled by some defect—just as fire is covered by smoke.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not renounce one’s innate duty merely because it contains imperfections; all human undertakings carry some defect, yet duty should be performed rather than abandoned.
In the Kurukṣetra setting, Arjuna voices a principle about action and duty: even flawed, nature-born work should be continued, using the metaphor that smoke naturally accompanies fire.