Sanskrit
सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् । सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः ॥ ४८ ॥
sahajaṃ karma kaunteya sa-doṣam api na tyajet sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ
Translation
Congenital duty, O son of Kunti, though defective, ought not to be abandoned. All undertakings indeed are clouded by defects as fire by smoke.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
An argument against perfectionism as an excuse for abandoning duty: congenital work (sahaja karma) should not be dropped merely because it’s flawed, since — in the verse’s own image — every undertaking is wreathed in some defect the way fire is wreathed in smoke. The claim isn’t that flaws don’t matter, only that flawlessness was never the bar for legitimate action; waiting for it is itself a version of the inaction chapter 3 already rejected. Sahajaṃ karma sa-doṣam api na tyajet — “the work born with you, do not abandon it even if flawed.” No action is fault-free — “as fire is wrapped in smoke.” The counsel is the opposite of Arjuna’s chapter-1 wish to withdraw; it is BG 18.7’s tāmasic tyāga forbidden.
Study deeper
Word by word
- sahajaṃ karma kaunteyaसहजं कर्म कौन्तेय
- the work born with one, O son of Kuntī (sahajam + karma + kaunteya)
- sa-doṣam api na tyajetस-दोषं अपि न त्यजेत्
- even with fault, one should not give up (sa-doṣam + api + na + tyajet)
- sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇaसर्वारंभा हि दोषेण
- for all undertakings, by fault (sarva-ārambhāḥ + hi + doṣeṇa)
- dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥधूमेनाग्निः इवावृताः
- are wrapped as fire by smoke (dhūmena + agniḥ + iva + āvṛtāḥ)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The verse doesn’t ask you to deny the defect — sa-dosham api, though defective, concedes the flaw is real, no minimizing. What it refuses is the next step, treating an admitted flaw as grounds for abandonment. That’s a narrower, more honest position than either denying the problem or using the problem as an exit: name the smoke plainly, and still tend the fire.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- You don't need to convince yourself your work, relationship, or practice is flawless to justify continuing it — admit the real defect plainly, and treat that admission as compatible with staying rather than as the reason to leave.
Professional
- When a process, tool, or team structure has a known, admitted flaw, the honest move is naming it precisely, not pretending it isn't there and not using it as the reason to scrap the whole thing. Most working systems carry a named defect and keep running.
Family & Social
- You can tell someone close to you exactly what's wrong in a shared arrangement without that admission being the first step toward ending it — naming the smoke honestly is different from deciding the fire isn't worth keeping.
Ask yourself
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