Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 18, Verse 48
सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत्।सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः।।
saha-jaṁ karma kaunteya sa-doṣam api na tyajet
sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ
also searched as "sahajam karma kaunteya sadosamapi na tyajet"
Translation
One should not relinquish one's work, O Arjuna, though it may be imperfect; for, all endeavors are enveloped by imperfections as fire is by smoke.
Vāṇi's rendering
Never drop your born work for its flaws. Every undertaking is wrapped in some flaw, as fire in smoke.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सहजम्saha-jaṁ | born with you; the work your own nature came carrying |
| कर्मkarma | work, action |
| कौन्तेयkaunteya | son of Kunti — Arjuna |
| सदोषम्sa-doṣam | flawed, carrying some defect |
| अपिapi | even, even though |
| नna | not |
| त्यजेत्tyajet | should abandon, should drop |
| सर्वsarva- | all (joined by sandhi to the next word) |
| आरम्भाःārambhāḥ | undertakings, things begun |
| हिhi | indeed, for |
| दोषेणdoṣeṇa | by flaw, by defect |
| धूमेनdhūmena | by smoke (sandhi with the next word) |
| अग्निःagniḥ | fire |
| इवiva | as, like (sandhi with the next word) |
| आवृताःāvṛtāḥ | wrapped, covered over |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 48 mean?
It means the flaw in your work is not grounds for leaving it. Krishna tells Arjuna that everything undertaken carries some defect, as fire carries smoke. The defect proves the action is real, not that it is wrong. So the work that came with your nature is to be done — imperfectly, but done.
What does sahajam karma kaunteya sadosamapi na tyajet teach?
Saha-jaṁ karma is the work born along with you — what your own make and moment have handed you. Krishna says do not set it down because you can see its faults. Faults are the condition of doing anything at all. Waiting for spotless work is another way of never beginning.
If my work involves compromise, should I leave it?
Look first at whether you are leaving because it is wrong or because it is uncomfortable. Krishna does not sanctify harm; he removes the excuse of imperfection. If the work is genuinely yours, the smoke around it is not a verdict. Stay in it, and let the flaw be visible rather than fatal.
Why does Krishna compare flaws to smoke and fire?
Because smoke is not the enemy of fire — it is what fire makes. The image refuses the fantasy of pure action. Every choice burns something, costs something, leaves a residue. You are asked to keep the flame going, not to wait for a fire that gives off nothing you would rather not see.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Smoke does not mean the fire is failing. It means there is fire. Arjuna has been looking for the clean option — the work with no blood on it, no doubt in it — and Krishna tells him no such work exists. Every undertaking comes wrapped in its own flaw, the way flame comes wrapped in smoke. The flaw is not a signal to quit; it is the smell of something actually burning. You will keep waiting for the role that has no compromise in it, the work that costs nothing wrong. Do the work you were born to, and let it smoke.