Such being the cause, therefore,
श्रेयान् स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् ।
स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम् ॥ ४७ ॥
śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmātsvanuṣṭhitāt .
svabhāvaniyataṃ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam .. 47 ..
Better is one’s own duty (though) destitute of merits, than the duty of another well performed. Doing the duty ordained according to nature one incurs no sin.
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Just as a poisonous substance does not injure the worm born in that substance, so, he who does the duty ordained according to his own nature incurs no sin.
One ought not to abandon one’s own duty.
It has been said that he who does the duty ordained according to his nature incurs no sin like a worm born in poison, that the duty of another brings on fear, and that he who does not know the Self cannot indeed remain even for a moment without doing action. Wherefore,