स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरत: संसिद्धिं लभते नर
स्वकर्मनिरत: सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु ॥ ४५ ॥
sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ sansiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ
sva-karma-nirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tach chhṛiṇu
श्लोक ४५: जो मनुष्य अपने कर्तव्य के प्रति समर्पित होता है, वह अपने कार्य में सिद्धि प्राप्त करता है। अब, मैं तुम्हें समझाता हूँ कि कैसे एक व्यक्ति अपने कर्तव्य के प्रति दृढ़ समर्पण के माध्यम से सिद्धि प्राप्त कर सकता है।
Shloka 45: One who is deeply devoted to their own duty achieves perfection. Now, let Me explain how one attains perfection through steadfast dedication to their duty.
Verse 18.45 of the Bhagavad Gita is a pivotal teaching in which Sri Krishna assures Arjuna—and all seekers—that the path to spiritual perfection is not about escaping our current roles or environments, but about elevating our attitude and intention within them. Krishna explains that every individual, by faithfully and sincerely performing their natural duties, can progress towards spiritual accomplishment. These duties, referred to as “sva-karma,” are those that align with one’s innate tendencies and qualities, emphasizing that the outward action matters less than the inner orientation with which one approaches it.
At the heart of this verse lies a simple but empowering message: no one’s job, status, or daily function is excluded from the possibility of spiritual progress. The term “abhirataḥ” highlights the importance of being engaged and content in one’s own duty. It is this absorption and enthusiasm in one’s natural work, rather than a restless search for another path, that becomes the vehicle for inner transformation. Krishna is clear: perfection (or “siddhi”) is attainable for anyone who wholeheartedly pursues the work that naturally comes to them, provided they approach it with dedication and focus.
Rather than suggesting a radical physical renunciation or withdrawal from society, the verse gently steers us towards an inner renunciation—the letting go of selfishness, comparison, or dissatisfaction. Spiritual growth does not demand abandoning the material world, but rather, spiritualizing our engagement with it. When a person is “nirataḥ” (steadily engaged) in their own prescribed duty, this very engagement becomes a sadhana, a spiritual practice, gradually qualifying them for deeper realization.
Krishna’s teaching in this verse also acts as a bridge. It takes the everyday reality of duties—whether in family, vocation, or community—and turns them into stepping stones for attaining perfection. He assures that everyone is born with certain natural propensities and strengths. When these are accepted and cultivated, rather than denied or suppressed, they become the means for both personal fulfillment and spiritual progress. It is through the sincere enactment of these roles that a person becomes eligible for higher wisdom.
This idea is transformative because it democratizes spiritual progress. There is no exclusive path reserved for monks, scholars, or ritualists. Instead, every person’s unique context and occupation become their personal spiritual laboratory. The farmer, teacher, artisan, or judge—all can progress equally, provided their duties are performed with steadiness, integrity, and an openness to higher understanding. The verse subtly critiques any worldview that rigidly grades people’s worth by role, instead upholding the dignity of sincere effort in one’s natural sphere.
The promise held out by Krishna is that such steadfastness leads to “samsiddhim,” the state of perfection or complete fulfillment. This does not refer to mere worldly success or the accumulation of skills, but a deeper inner perfection—the readiness to receive transcendental knowledge, to move from external action to inner wisdom. In this way, daily duties become a ground for discipline, character, and the gradual unfolding of spiritual insight.
Read in the wider context of the Bhagavad Gita, this verse marks the transition from karma yoga (the yoga of action) towards bhakti yoga (the yoga of devotion). By hinting that our everyday actions, when infused with the right attitude, lead to perfection, Krishna prepares the ground for the teaching that these same actions can become devotional offerings—forms of worship—when conducted with the intention to please the Divine. The emphasis shifts from the action itself to the consciousness behind it, uniting the spiritual and practical dimensions of life.
In conclusion, Bhagavad Gita 18.45 is an invitation to embrace our natural roles without anxiety or comparison and to trust that performing them with sincerity sets us on the path to life’s highest fulfillment. Perfection is not an abstract ideal; it is a lived reality, slowly manifesting as we become evermore engaged, content, and wholehearted in our appointed work, guided by the wisdom that every action, properly aligned, leads us closer to the Divine.
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