Verse 18.48
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् | सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः ||४८||
Transliteration (IAST)
saha-jaṁ karma kaunteya sa-doṣam api na tyajet | sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ ||48||
Word-by-Word Meanings
saha-jam-born together with/innate
karma-duty
kaunteya-O son of Kunti
sa-doṣam-with fault
na tyajet-should not abandon
sarvārambhāḥ-all undertakings
doṣeṇa-with defect
dhūmena-with smoke
Translation
One should not abandon one's innate duty, O son of Kunti, even though it is attended with defects; for all undertakings are enveloped by defects, as fire is by smoke.
Commentary
Krishna uses the powerful analogy of fire and smoke to teach that no action is entirely free from imperfection. Shankaracharya explains that just as fire, though pure, is always accompanied by smoke, every action in the material world carries some defect. Ramanuja emphasizes that abandoning one's natural duty due to its imperfections is worse than performing it imperfectly.
Themes
karmadharmaduty