श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुण: परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेय: परधर्मो भयावह:
śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitāt swa-dharme nidhanaṁ śhreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ
Recitation · Text 3.35
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Word-for-Word Śabda-Artha (10 words)
Purport Overview & Key Insights
One of the chapter's most quoted lines: one's own duty, even imperfectly done, is better than another's duty performed well; better to die in one's own duty, for another's is fraught with fear. It answers Arjuna's original impulse to take up someone else's life instead.
✨ Devotional Takeaway:This directly answers Arjuna's opening impulse — to set down his own life and take up someone else's instead.