Bhagavad-gītā 18.47
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्।स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्।।18.47।।
śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitāt svabhāva-niyataṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣham
Better is one's own Dharma, (though) imperfect, than the Dharma of another well-performed. He who does the duty ordained by his own nature incurs no evil.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from śhreyān (better), svabhāva-niyatam (according to one’s innate nature), and kilbiṣham (sin). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to freedom through discernment and surrender. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 18.47.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the great recapitulation through renunciation, action, knowledge, duty, devotion, refuge and Sañjaya’s conclusion.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Better is one's own Dharma, (though) imperfect, than the Dharma of another well-performed
- 2
He who does the duty ordained by his own nature incurs no evil
- 3
śhreyān: better
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.47, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 18.47 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 18.47 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 18.47 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.47, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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