Bhagavad-gītā 18.48
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत्।सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः।।18.48।।
saha-jaṁ karma kaunteya sa-doṣham api na tyajet sarvārambhā hi doṣheṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛitāḥ
One should not relinquish, O son of Kunti, the duty to which one is born, though it is attended with evil; for, all undertakings are enveloped by evil, as fire by smoke.
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 |
|---|---|
| saha-jam | born of one’s nature |
| karma | duty |
| kaunteya | Arjun, the son of Kunti |
| sa-doṣham | with defects |
| api | even if |
| na tyajet | one should not abandon |
| sarva-ārambhāḥ | all endeavors |
| hi | indeed |
| doṣheṇa | with evil |
| dhūmena | with smoke |
| agniḥ | fire |
| iva | as |
| āvṛitāḥ | veiled |
Use the word map to follow the relation among saha-jam (born of one’s nature), sarva-ārambhāḥ (all endeavors), and āvṛitāḥ (veiled). 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 18.48.
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
One should not relinquish, O son of Kunti, the duty to which one is born, though it is attended with evil
- 2
for, all undertakings are enveloped by evil, as fire by smoke
- 3
saha-jam: born of one’s nature
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.48, 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 18.48 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 18.48 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 18.48 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 18.48, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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