Passages

Bhagavad Gita 3:35

Bhagavad Gita

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "Bhagavad Gita 3:35." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/passages/bhagavad-gita-3-35.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). Bhagavad Gita 3:35. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/passages/bhagavad-gita-3-35

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-bhagavad-gita-3-35,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {Bhagavad Gita 3:35},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/passages/bhagavad-gita-3-35},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The verse most often cited in defence of caste-bound duty, and the one most contested by reformers. Gandhi read svadharma as personal vocation rather than inherited station; the traditional reading takes it as varna.

Facts

Passage

Text

Better is one's own Dharma, (though) imperfect, than the Dharma of another well-performed. Better is death in one's own Dharma: the Dharma of another is fraught with fear. 1

Reference

Bhagavad Gita 3:35 1

Reference Scheme

Chapter and Verse 1

Translation

Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita 1

Translator

Swami Swarupananda 1

Meaning

Theme

duty 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Concerns

Dharma: righteous duty

The classical statement of svadharma.

Hinduism

Passage Of

Bhagavad Gita

Source Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, English translation and commentarySwami Swarupananda

Sources

1. Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, English translation and commentary

Swami Swarupananda, Advaita Ashrama / Internet Sacred Text Archive, 1909Bhagavad Gita 3:35View the Source

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