Chapter 18 · Verse 48 · Moksha Sanyaas Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 18.48
Sanskrit
सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत्।सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः।।18.48।।
Transliteration
saha-jaṁ karma kaunteya sa-doṣham api na tyajet sarvārambhā hi doṣheṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛitāḥ
In plain words
You're paralyzed because you think your work has to be perfect, or you have to be perfect, or it all means you're failing—and that shame is keeping you from showing up at all. Krishna says: the work itself is never spotless, but that doesn't make you spotless either, and it doesn't matter. Do what is yours to do, imperfectly and fully, and let that be enough.
Word by Word
Krishna reveals the deepest secret of renunciation: you do not abandon your dharma because it carries imperfection—you abandon the false self that demands perfection from action. Just as smoke does not diminish fire's essential nature, the flaws in your work do not taint your eternal Self.
When you act from your true nature without clinging to results, every deed becomes an offering, and imperfection transforms into grace. This teaching invites you to perform your duties fully today, released from the paralyzing shame of being human.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 18.48 — BG 18.48
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