Ramanuja's Gita Bhashyam - Chapter 3 - sloka 35

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Adidevavananda's translation of Ramanuja Gita Bhashya, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Spiritual Practices Conforming to Dispositions -33-35

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 3 -Karma Yaoga - Sloka 35

Arjuna & Krishna

श्रेयान स्वधर्मः विगुणः परधर्मात स्वनुस्थितात  ।

स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मः भयावः ।। श्लोक ३५ 

Shreyan svadharma vigunah paradharmat svanusthitah I

Svadharma nidhanam shreyah paradharmah bhayavah II sloka 35

Better is one's own duty, though illdone, than the duty of another well performed. Better is death in one's own duty; the duty of another is fraught with fear.

Therefore karma yoga is better than jnana yoga. For, it forms one's duty, since it is natural to one  and easy to perform, and though defective, is free from liability to interruption and fall. Jnana Yoga, on the other hand, though performed well for sometime, constitutes the duty of another, as it is difficult to practise for one conjoined with Prakriti. It is therefore liable to interruption. For a person who lives practising karma yoga - which is his duty because he is qualified for it -  even death with out success in one birth doesnot matter. For, in the next birth, it will be possible for him to perform karma yoga without any impediments. Jnana yoga is fraught with fear because of the possibility of errorsfor anyone who is conjoined with prakriti. It is another's duty, on account of it being not easily adopted by him.