BHAGAVAD-GITA 18:48

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 18:48

 

saha-jam karma kaunteya

sa-dosam api na tyajet

sarvarambha hi dosena

dhumenagnir ivavrtah

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

saha-jam--born simultaneously; karma--work; kaunteya--O son of Kunti;

sa-dosam--with fault; api--although; na--never; tyajet--one should

give up; sarva-arambhah--all ventures; hi--certainly; dosena--with

fault; dhumena--with smoke; agnih--fire; iva--as; avrtah--covered.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Every endeavor is covered by some fault, just as fire is covered by

smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work born of his nature, O

son of Kunti, even if such work is full of fault.

 

PURPORT

 

In conditioned life, all work is contaminated by the material modes of

nature. Even if one is a brahmana, he has to perform sacrifices in

which animal killing is necessary. Similarly, a ksatriya, however

pious he may be, has to fight enemies. He cannot avoid it. Similarly,

a merchant, however pious he may be, must sometimes hide his profit to

stay in business, or he may sometimes have to do business on the black

market. These things are necessary; one cannot avoid them. Similarly,

even though a man is a sudra serving a bad master, he has to carry out

the order of the master, even though it should not be done. Despite

these flaws, one should continue to carry out his prescribed duties,

for they are born out of his own nature.

 

A very nice example is given herein. Although fire is pure, still

there is smoke. Yet smoke does not make the fire impure. Even though

there is smoke in the fire, fire is still considered to be the purest

of all elements. If one prefers to give up the work of a ksatriya and

take up the occupation of a brahmana, he is not assured that in the

occupation of a brahmana there are no unpleasant duties. One may then

conclude that in the material world no one can be completely free from

the contamination of material nature. This example of fire and smoke

is very appropriate in this connection. When in wintertime one takes a

stone from the fire, sometimes smoke disturbs the eyes and other parts

of the body, but still one must make use of the fire despite

disturbing conditions. Similarly, one should not give up his natural

occupation because there are some disturbing elements. Rather, one

should be determined to serve the Supreme Lord by his occupational

duty in Krsna consciousness. That is the perfectional point. When a

particular type of occupation is performed for the satisfaction of the

Supreme Lord, all the defects in that particular occupation are

purified. When the results of work are purified, when connected with

devotional service, one becomes perfect in seeing the self within, and

that is self-realization.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.