सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् ।सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः ॥
sahajaṃ karma kaunteya sadoṣam api na tyajet |sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ ||
- सहजम् · sahajam
- inborn, natural
- कर्म · karma
- work
- कौन्तेय · kaunteya
- O son of Kunti
- सदोषम् · sadoṣam
- though flawed
- अपि · api
- even
- न · na
- not
- त्यजेत् · tyajet
- one should abandon
- सर्वारम्भाः · sarvārambhāḥ
- all undertakings
- दोषेण · doṣeṇa
- by some flaw
- धूमेन · dhūmena
- by smoke
- अग्निः · agniḥ
- fire
- इव · iva
- like
- आवृताः · āvṛtāḥ
- covered
“One should not abandon one's natural work, O son of Kunti, even though flawed; for all undertakings are covered by some flaw, as fire is by smoke.”
— Original plain-language translation
No work is stainless — the fire-smoke image concedes every enterprise carries some harm or imperfection. Waiting for flawless duty means never acting. Do your inborn work despite its defects, and purify the doing rather than fleeing the deed.
— Reader's notes (original)