Bhagavad Gita BG 18.47
Chapter 18, Verse 47 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् । स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥
shreyAn svadharmo vigunah paradharmAt svanushthitat svabhAva-niyatam karma kurvan napnoti kilbisham
Meaning
Better is one's own dharma, though imperfectly performed, than the dharma of another well performed. Performing the action determined by one's own nature, one does not incur sin.
Understanding
The svadharma teaching restated near Ch18's close (an echo of Ch3.35). Shreyah svadharmo vigunah (better one's OWN dharma even if deficient). ParadharmAt svanushthitat (than another's dharma even if well-performed). Svabhava-niyatam karma kurvan (performing the action determined by one's own nature). Na apnoti kilbisham (one does not incur sin/fault). Why? Because svadharma is the dharma suited to one's svabhava (innate nature/guna-composition). Acting against one's svabhava generates internal violence and contradiction even if the outward action appears nobler.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| श्रेयान् | shreyAn | better, more excellent (comparative) |
| विगुणः | vigunah | deficient in quality, imperfect, with flaws |
| स्वनुष्ठितात् | svanushthitat | well-performed, perfectly executed (by another) |
| स्वभावनियतम् | svabhAva-niyatam | determined by one's own nature (svabhava) |
| किल्बिषम् | kilbisham | sin, fault, moral error |
| श्रेयान् | śreyān | better |
| स्व-धर्मः | sva-dharmaḥ | one's own duty |
| विगुणः | viguṇaḥ | imperfectly done |
| पर-धर्मात् | para-dharmāt | than another's duty |
| स्वनुष्ठितात् | svanusṭhitāt | perfectly performed |
| स्वभाव-नियतम् | svabhāva-niyatam | regulated by one's own nature |
| कर्म | karma | action |
| कुर्वन् | kurvan | performing |
| न | na āpnoti | does not incur |
| किल्बिषम् | kilbiṣam | sin, fault |