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Bhagavad-gītā 18.47

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् । स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्‍नोति किल्बिषम् ॥ ४७ ॥
śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ
[shreyaan sva-dharmo vigunah]
para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt
[para-dharmaat sv-anushthitaat]
svabhāva-niyataṁ karma
[svabhaava-niyatam karma]
kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam
[kurvan naapnoti kilbisham]
Word-for-word
śreyān — better sva - dharmaḥ — one’s own occupation viguṇaḥ — imperfectly performed para - dharmāt — than another’s occupation su - anuṣṭhitāt — perfectly done svabhāva - niyatam — prescribed according to one’s nature karma — work kurvan — performing na — never āpnoti — achieves kilbiṣam — sinful reactions .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ
śreyān
better
sva - dharmaḥ
one’s own occupation
viguṇaḥ
imperfectly performed
para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt
para - dharmāt
than another’s occupation
su - anuṣṭhitāt
perfectly done
svabhāva - niyatam
prescribed according to one’s nature
svabhāva-niyataṁ karma
karma
work
kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam
kurvan
performing
na
never
āpnoti
achieves
kilbiṣam
sinful reactions .
Important Words
  • śreyān — better
    Comparative. Not merely 'acceptable' — *superior*. Imperfect own-duty surpasses perfect borrowed-duty. The whole verse is a hierarchy claim, not a permission slip.
  • sva-dharmaḥ — one's own duty
    The Gītā's most famous compound, also given in 3.35. Repeated here at the chapter's heart because Arjuna is at the very crossroads it addresses.
  • viguṇaḥ — imperfectly performed
    Adjective — 'with deficient quality.' Even botched sva-dharma is better than polished para-dharma. The verse forecloses the perfectionist's escape: 'I'm not good enough at my dharma yet, so I'll try a different one.'
  • su-anuṣṭhitāt — than perfectly performed
    Ablative. Even when the other person's dharma is executed beautifully, it is still inferior to one's own done badly. The comparison is sharper than most readers want it to be.
  • svabhāva-niyatam — regulated by one's own nature
    Compound. Sva-dharma is rooted in svabhāva — not assigned arbitrarily. The fit between worker and work is metaphysical, not bureaucratic.
  • kilbiṣam — sinful reactions
    Karmic stain. Doing one's nature-prescribed duty does not produce kilbiṣa even when imperfect. The same imperfection in borrowed dharma can produce serious karmic damage.
It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly. Duties prescribed according to one’s nature are never affected by sinful reactions.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
A near-restatement of 3.35: stay with your own work even if you fumble it; don't take up another's dharma even if you'd execute it well. Sva-bhāva-fixed work, done in good faith, generates no stain.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The verse counters Arjuna's recurring temptation to drop his kṣatriya-dharma for a brāhmaṇa-style renunciation. 'Viguṇa' (faulty) sva-dharma trumps 'sv-anuṣṭhita' (perfectly executed) para-dharma. The doctrine respects natural constitution: borrowed virtue is inauthentic and will collapse. Cf. 3.35; the recurrence here at the chapter's summative position is deliberate.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
विगुणः स्व-धर्मः सु-अनुष्ठितात् पर-धर्मात् श्रेयान् । स्व-भाव-नियतं कर्म कुर्वन् किल्बिषं न आप्नोति ।
viguṇaḥ sva-dharmaḥ su-anuṣṭhitāt para-dharmāt śreyān | sva-bhāva-niyataṃ karma kurvan kilbiṣaṃ na āpnoti |
One's own dharma, even poorly performed, is better than another's dharma well performed. Doing the work fixed by one's nature, one incurs no fault.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
श्रेयान् स्व-धर्मः विगुणः पर-धर्मात् सु-अनुष्ठितात् । स्व-भाव-नियतं कर्म कुर्वन् न आप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥
śreyān sva-dharmaḥ viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt su-anuṣṭhitāt | sva-bhāva-niyataṃ karma kurvan na āpnoti kilbiṣam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
श्रेयान् śreyān श्रेयस् compar. (comparative) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. better
स्व-धर्मः sva-dharmaḥ tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. own dharma
विगुणः viguṇaḥ वि + गुण (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. imperfectly done
पर-धर्मात् para-dharmāt tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) abl.sg. (ablative singular)m. than another's dharma
सु-अनुष्ठितात् su-anuṣṭhitāt sup + p.p.p. (past passive participle) abl.sg. (ablative singular)m. well-performed
स्व-भाव-नियतम् sva-bhāva-niyatam tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. fixed by nature
कर्म karma कर्मन् (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) work
कुर्वन् kurvan √कृ pres. (present)part. nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. doing
न na ind. (indeclinable) negation not
आप्नोति āpnoti आप् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) incurs
किल्बिषम् kilbiṣam किल्बिष (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) fault, sin
Purport

One’s occupational duty is prescribed in Bhagavad-gītā. As already discussed in previous verses, the duties of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra are prescribed according to their particular modes of nature. One should not imitate another’s duty. A man who is by nature attracted to the kind of work done by śūdras should not artificially claim to be a brāhmaṇa, although he may have been born into a brāhmaṇa family. In this way one should work according to his own nature; no work is abominable, if performed in the service of the Supreme Lord. The occupational duty of a brāhmaṇa is certainly in the mode of goodness, but if a person is not by nature in the mode of goodness, he should not imitate the occupational duty of a brāhmaṇa. For a kṣatriya, or administrator, there are so many abominable things; a kṣatriya has to be violent to kill his enemies, and sometimes a kṣatriya has to tell lies for the sake of diplomacy. Such violence and duplicity accompany political affairs, but a kṣatriya is not supposed to give up his occupational duty and try to perform the duties of a brāhmaṇa. One should act to satisfy the Supreme Lord. For example, Arjuna was a kṣatriya. He was hesitating to fight the other party. But if such fighting is performed for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there need be no fear of degradation. In the business field also, sometimes a merchant has to tell so many lies to make a profit. If he does not do so, there can be no profit. Sometimes a merchant says, “Oh, my dear customer, for you I am making no profit,” but one should know that without profit the merchant cannot exist. Therefore it should be taken as a simple lie if a merchant says that he is not making a profit. But the merchant should not think that because he is engaged in an occupation in which the telling of lies is compulsory, he should give up his profession and pursue the profession of a brāhmaṇa. That is not recommended. Whether one is a kṣatriya, a vaiśya, or a śūdra doesn’t matter, if he serves, by his work, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even brāhmaṇas, who perform different types of sacrifice, sometimes must kill animals because sometimes animals are sacrificed in such ceremonies. Similarly, if a kṣatriya engaged in his own occupation kills an enemy, there is no sin incurred. In the Third Chapter these matters have been clearly and elaborately explained; every man should work for the purpose of Yajña, or for Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Anything done for personal sense gratification is a cause of bondage. The conclusion is that everyone should be engaged according to the particular mode of nature he has acquired, and he should decide to work only to serve the supreme cause of the Supreme Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
47. It is better to perform one’s own duties with fault than to perform another’s duties perfectly. Doing your own duties according to your nature, you do not receive sin.
Commentary

Looking at one’s own rajasic duties with its various activities, and not having a taste for them, one should not perform sattvic duties. It is better to do one’s own duties, inferior though they may be, though done imperfectly (viguṇa), than doing another’s duty (para-dharmāt), though it may be preferred because it can be executed easily (su anuṣṭhitāt). You should not give up your own work of fighting because of its fault of killing friends, and instead perform another’s dharma in the form of wandering around begging.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
47. It is better to perform one duties according to nature which are inferior than to perform another’s duties which are superior. Doing your own duties according to your nature, you do not receive sin.
Commentary

“Because the duties of the kṣatiryas and others are composed of the lower guṇas, people, losing taste for thos duties, should perform the duties of the brāhmaṇas in sattva guṇa.” Undertaking ones own dharma which may be inferior (viguṇaḥ) is better than doing more perfectly another dharma which is superior or more attractive. It is much preferred because it is prescribed by the scriptures (to do those duties corresponding to ones qualities.) One should not think that subsisting on grains fallen in the field as a brāhmaṇa is a superior dharma to ones own dharma as a kṣatriaya which has violence, or as a vaiśya which involves untruthfulness, because the brāhmaṇa’s work lacks those faults. That is because in doing ones dharma with its faults, which are prescribed by scriptures according to ones nature (svabhāva nihitam karma), one does not incur sin. Just as there is no fault in the violence of sacrificing animals because it is ordained by scripture, so there is no fault in the violence or untruthfulessn which is part of fighting or business, because it is ordained as duty by scripture. This has been explained in detail in the third chapter.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Here is what Krsna is talking about: how to do work in the service of the Lord, according to one's nature and one will not attain any sinful reactions by doing this work. Again how to become free from sinful reactions through working.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

As one should not take medicine prescribed to someone else, one should stick to his own prescribed

duties and not try to take someone else’s

Better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly
Result: Duties prescribed according to one’s own nature are never affected by sinful reaction
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
18.47 Svadharmah, one's own duty; though vigunah, defective-the word though has to be supplied-; is sreyan, superior to, more praiseworthy than; paradharmat, another's duty; su-anusthitat, well performed. Kurvan, by performing; karma, a duty; svabhavaniyatam, as dictated by one's own nature-this phrase means the same as svabhavajam (born from Nature) which has been stated earlier-; na apnoti, one does not incur; kilbisam, sin. As poison is not harmful to a worm born it it, so one does not incur sin by performing a duty dictated by one's own nature. It has been siad that, as in the case of a worm born in poison, a person does not incur sin while performing his duties which have been dictated by his own nature; and that someone else's duty is fraught with fear; also that, one who does not have the knoweldge of the Self, (he) surely cannot remain even for a moment without doing work (cf. 3.5). Hence-
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
18.47 One's proper Dharma is that which is suitable for performance by oneself, in the form of worshipping Myself, relinishing agency etc., as has been taught. For, Karma Yoga, consisting in the activities of sense organs, is easy to perform by one in association with Prakrti. Thus, Karma Yoga, even if it is defective in some respects, is better than the Dharma of another, i.e., than Jnana-yoga, even for a person capable of controlling his senses, which is an attainment liable to negligence, because it consists of control over all sense-organs; for, though this may be well performed occasionaly, one is always liable to deflection from it. He explains the same: As Karma consists of the activities of the sense-organs, it is ordained by Nature for one who is conjoined with Prakrti, i.e., the body. So by performing Karma Yoga one does not incur any stain. But Jnana Yoga is liable to negligence, because it reires the control of the senses from the very beginning for its performance. One intent on it is likely to incur stain from negligence. [Thus we are reminded about what was mentioned in the third chapter - that Karma Yoga alone is greater.]
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
18.47 See Comment under 18.60
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
18.47 Better is one's own duty (though) destitute of merits, than the duty of another well performed. He who does the duty ordained by his own nature incurs no sin.
Commentary

18.47 श्रेयान् better? स्वधर्मः ones own duty? विगुणः (though) destitute of merits? परधर्मात् that the duty of another? स्वनुष्ठितात् (than) well performed? स्वभावनियतम् ordained by his own nature? कर्म action? कुर्वन् doing? न not? आप्नोति (he) incurs? किल्बिषम् sin.Commentary Just as a poisonous substance does not harm the worm born in that substance? so he who does his Svadharma (the duty ordained according to his own nature) does not incur any sin.What is poison to the whole world is sweet to a worm and yet sugarcane juice that is sweet causes its death. So a mans appointed duty which frees him from bondage must? therefore? be practised however difficult it may seem to be. If you try to do the duty of another it will bring,danger. He who has no knowledge of the Self cannot remain even for a moment without doing action. (Cf.III.35)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
18.47 One's own duty, (though) defective, is superior to another's duty well performed. By performing a duty as dictated by one's own nature, one does not incur sin.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
18.47 It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never sins.
Related values & verses
Primary values
Kartavya (Duty / Responsibility)
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)
Related verses
BG 3.35 BG 18.48 BG 2.31 SB 7.11.32 SB 11.21.2 SB 5.5.17 CC Madhya 22.91 CC Madhya 8.60 CC Madhya 22.110 Īśa Upaniṣad 1 Chāndogya Upaniṣad 4.4.5
Concepts
BhavaDharma
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Better one's own work imperfectly performed than another's perfectly performed — the duty born of one's nature is never affected by sin.
Practical Applications
  • Stop comparing your imperfect work to another's perfect work.
  • Refine your own.
  • Trust that own-duty does not produce sin.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose dharma am I covertly imitating?
  • What is the imperfect-but-mine work to refine?
Analogy

A fish swims awkwardly in water; pulled onto polished marble and choreographed beautifully, it dies. Better the awkward swim than the elegant dance on the wrong floor. Sva-dharma may stumble; para-dharma kills.

Stories
Bharata's deer-attachment

Mahārāja Bharata, an advanced renunciate, took on the *para-dharma* of nurturing an orphaned deer — a kindness, but not his prescribed sva-dharma at that stage. His attachment to the deer derailed his entire sādhana, costing him a deer-body in the next life.

The Bhāgavatam treats this as an exact illustration of 18.47: even a noble-seeming task that is not one's own can bind a soul who walks away from his actual prescribed path.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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