श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् ।स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥
śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt |svabhāvaniyataṃ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam ||
- श्रेयान् · śreyān
- better
- स्वधर्मः · svadharmaḥ
- one's own duty
- विगुणः · viguṇaḥ
- imperfect, flawed
- परधर्मात् · paradharmāt
- than another's duty
- स्वनुष्ठितात् · svanuṣṭhitāt
- well performed
- स्वभावनियतम् · svabhāvaniyatam
- ordained by one's nature
- कर्म · karma
- action
- कुर्वन् · kurvan
- performing
- न · na
- not
- आप्नोति · āpnoti
- incurs
- किल्बिषम् · kilbiṣam
- fault, sin
“Better one's own duty, though imperfect, than another's duty well performed; performing the work ordained by one's nature, one incurs no fault.”
— Original plain-language translation
Repeated from 3.35 with weight: authenticity outranks excellence at borrowed roles. Arjuna the warrior should not play the monk. Doing your own flawed work sincerely stains less than doing another's brilliantly — because nature, not prestige, assigns the task.
— Reader's notes (original)