Moksha Sannyasa Yogah - Better is one's own duty though imperfectly performed than the duty of another well performed. Performing the duty ordained by one's own nature, one incurs no sin.
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् |
स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ||47||

Better is one's own duty though imperfectly performed than the duty of another well performed. Performing the duty ordained by one's own nature, one incurs no sin.

  • Śreyān: Better.
  • Svadharmaḥ: One's own duty.
  • Viguṇaḥ: Defective.
  • Kilbiṣam: Sin.

This verse contains one of the Gita's most important teachings—imperfect performance of one's own duty surpasses perfect execution of another's. This liberates us from comparing ourselves to others, focusing instead on authentic expression of our unique nature, however limited it might appear.

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