Bhagavad Gita 3.35
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्। स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः॥
śreyān sva-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣṭhitāt | sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ ||
“Better to perform one's own duty imperfectly than another's duty well. Even death in one's own dharma is better; another's dharma is fraught with fear.”- confusion
- career
- purpose
- identity
- comparison
What this verse is about
This verse speaks to confusion about one’s own direction, decisions about work, calling, and livelihood, and one’s own path, even when it looks smaller than another’s.
✦ Contemplation
Your own small path, done imperfectly, is more alive than someone else's perfect one.
✦ A small practice
When you feel envy today, come back to your own work.
Chapter 3
The Yoga of ActionKarma Yoga
Why one cannot simply opt out of action, and how to act in the world without being bound by what one does.
Dilemmas this verse speaks to
Questions real people carry that this verse has something to say about.
What should I do when I feel confused about my career?
You’re not stuck, you’re just unclear.
Read reflection ›
Why do I feel jealous of others and their success?
Their progress feels like your loss.
Read reflection ›
Why do I feel lost in life even when everything seems fine?
You’re doing okay on the outside, but something inside feels off.
Read reflection ›
Sit with this verse a little longer.
Ask Dharma how this verse might land in your own life, and receive a calm, verse-grounded reflection.
Ask Dharma about 3.35