For Eternal Beginners
श्रेयान् स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात् स्वनुष्ठितात् ।
zreyAn svadharmo viguNaH paradharmAt svanuSThitAt |
स्वधर्मो [svadharmo] Your own work, विगुणः [viguNaH] perhaps lacking in perfection, श्रेयान् [zreyAn] is superior परधर्मात् [paradharmAt] in comparison to work that’s not yours, सु अनुष्ठितात् [su anuSThitAt] even when executed with excellence.
When you work as described before - by leaving possessiveness, outcomes and the misconception of making things happen - it takes the form of My worship. The phrase ‘your own work’ is the work that can be initiated by you, in your present space.
‘your own work’ means your initiative - not what you or others think you should be doing; not anything that happened, nor anything that’s going to.
Work that’s performed in this manner takes the form of [ karmayOga ]. It is activity done using your organs and is achievable by all of us, though we are constantly constrained in our environment.
Thus, your own work done in this manner, called [ karmayOga ], even perhaps lacking in perfection, is superior in comparison to [ jnAnayOga ], which is to be done by people who are experts in keeping their organs under control.
The practice of jnAnayOga is about having control over all of our organs. It’s loaded with the possibility of mistakes due to carelessness.
Hence, the practice of activity without attachment , even when imperfect, is superior to the rare, onetime achievement of perfect control over all organs.
The Lord elaborates this ‘ activity without attachment ‘ again –