Å›reyÄn svadharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmÄt svanuá¹£á¹hitÄt svadharme nidhanaá¹ Å›reyaḥ para-dharmo bhayÄvahaḥ [35]
svadharmaḥ–One’s own function; viguṇaḥ–tinged with faults; Å›reyÄn–is better; para-dharmÄt–than another’s function; su-anuá¹£á¹hitÄt– done well. nidhanam–Even death; svadharme–on one’s own path of duty (according to one’s appropiate position in the varṇÄÅ›ram or Godcentred socio-religious system); Å›reyaḥ–is better. para-dharmaḥ–Another’s path of duty; bhaya-Ävahaḥ–is dangerous. [35]
Even if it is imperfect, it is better to do one’s duty according to one’s own nature, than to do another’s well. Even death in the discharge of one’s own duty is better, for to perform another’s is dangerous.
The eternal, superexcellent, natural function (dharma) of the soul is pure devotion to Adhoká¹£aja, the transcendental Lord. Therefore, even if this function is somewhat imperfectly attempted by one with external malpractices, such an attempt will be superior to the ‘good’ practices within the material modes of nature and worldly chain of actions and habits foreign to the soul’s nature. Even if death occurs during the cultivation of such pure devotion in proper saintly association, it is the bestower of the ultimate good; but in the name of good practices to ignorantly follow ‘another’s path’—anything other than devotion to the Lord (dvitÄ«yÄbhiniveÅ›)—is bhayÄvaḥ, endangering to the spiritual progress of the soul.*
*
bhayaá¹ dvitÄ«yÄbhiniveÅ›ataḥ syÄd Ä«Å›Äd apetasya viparyayo ’smá¹›tiḥ tan mÄyayÄto budha Äbhajet taá¹ bhaktyaikayeÅ›aá¹ guru-devatÄtmÄ
(SB: 11.2.37)
“A person of fine intelligence will serve with single-minded devotion his Lord who is his teacher and dearmost friend. But those who have turned away from the Lord adopt the illusory ego of considering the perishable body to be the self, forgetting their true identities. Their consciousness absorbed in ‘secondary pursuits’, i.e., mundane objectives, they are always fearful on account of the body and its attachments.â€
