श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्।
स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्।।18.47।।
18.47 Better is ones 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.
18.47 Svadharmah, ones own duty; though vigunah, defective-the word though has to be supplied-; is sreyan, superior to, more praiseworthy than; paradharmat, anothers duty; su-anusthitat, well performed. Kurvan, by performing; karma, a duty; svabhavaniyatam, as dictated by ones 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 ones 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 elses 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-
Shreyaanswadharmo vigunah paradharmaat swanushthitaat; Swabhaavaniyatam karma kurvannaapnoti kilbisham.
śhreyān—better; swa-dharmaḥ—one’s own prescribed occupational duty; viguṇaḥ—imperfectly done; para-dharmāt—than another’s dharma; su-anuṣhṭhitāt—perfectly done; svabhāva-niyatam—according to one’s innate nature; karma—duty; kurvan—by performing; na āpnoti—does not incur; kilbiṣham—sin
