Bhagavad Gita 18.47
श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात्। स्वभावनियतं कर्म कुर्वन्नाप्नोति किल्बिषम्॥
śreyānsvadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmātsvanuṣṭhitāt svabhāvaniyataṃ karma kurvannāpnoti kilbiṣam
Meaning
It is better to do one's own duty, however defective it may be, than to follow the duty of another, however well one may perform it. He who does his duty as his own nature reveals it, never commits a sin.
Understanding this verse
Simple meaning
Krishna repeats a key idea near the end of the Gita: your own duty, shaped by your own nature, is better than someone else's, even if theirs looks more impressive. Work that fits who you are doesn't carry the same inner conflict.
In real life
A teacher feels pressure to switch to a higher-paying corporate job like her friends. She realises teaching fits her nature, and that the comparison, not the job, was making her unhappy.
A son wants to take over the family shop while his friends move abroad. He stops treating his choice as "less" and runs the shop with pride and new ideas.
Try this today: Write down three things you do that feel natural to you, where time disappears. That's a clue to your svadharma.
What's your duvidha?
English translation by Shri Purohit Swami (1935), public domain. Sanskrit text in the public domain. About Duvidha