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TEXT 47 sreyan sva-dharmo vigunah
SYNONYMS  sreyan--better;
sva-dharmah--one's own occupation; vigunah--imperfectly performed;
para-dharmat--another's occupation; suanusthitat--perfectly
done; svabhava-niyatam--prescribed duties according to one's nature;
karma--work; kurvan--performing; na--never; apnoti--achieve;
kilbisam--sinful reactions.
TRANSLATION It is better
to engage in one's own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly,
than to accept another's occupation and perform it perfectly. Prescribed
duties, according to one's nature, are never affected by sinful reactions.
PURPORT One's occupational
duty is prescribed in Bhagavad-gita. As already discussed in previous
verses, the duties of a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra
are prescribed according to the particular modes of nature. One should
not imitate another's duty. A man who is by nature attracted to the kind
of work done by sudras should not artificially claim himself to
be a brahmana, although he may be born into a brahmana family.
In this way one should work according to his own nature; no work is abominable,
if performed in the service of the Supreme Lord. The occupational duty
of a brahmana is certainly in the mode of goodness, but if a person
is not by nature in the mode of goodness, he should not imitate the occupational
duty of a brahmana. For a ksatriya, or administrator, there
are so many abominable things; a ksatriya has to be violent to kill
his enemies, and sometimes a ksatriya has to tell lies for the sake
of diplomacy. Such violence and duplicity accompany political affairs,
but a ksatriya is not supposed to give up his occupational duty
and try to perform the duties of a brahmana.
One should
act to satisfy the Supreme Lord. For example, Arjuna was a ksatriya.
He was hesitating to fight the other party. But if such fighting is performed
for the sake of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there need be
no fear of degradation. In the business field also, sometimes a merchant
has to tell so many lies to make a profit. If he does not do so, there
can be no profit. Sometimes a merchant says, "Oh, my dear customer, for
you I am making no profit," but one should know that without profit the
merchant cannot exist. Therefore it should be taken as a simple lie if
a merchant says that he is not making a profit. But the merchant should
not think that because he is engaged in an occupation in which the telling
of lies is compulsory, he should give up his profession and pursue the
profession of a brahmana. That is not recommended. Whether one is
a ksatriya, a vaisya, or a sudra doesn't matter, if
he serves, by his work, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even brahmanas,
who perform different types of sacrifice, sometimes must kill animals because
sometimes animals are sacrificed in such ceremonies. Similarly, if a ksatriya
engaged in his own occupation kills an enemy, there is no sin incurred.
In the Third Chapter these matters have been clearly and elaborately explained;
every man should work for the purpose of Yajna, or for Visnu, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Anything done for personal sense gratification
is a cause of bondage. The conclusion is that everyone should be engaged
according to the particular mode of nature he has acquired, and he should
decide to work only to serve the supreme cause of the Supreme Lord.
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