Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 35

श्रेयान्स्वधर्मो विगुणः परधर्मात्स्वनुष्ठितात् । स्वधर्मे निधनं श्रेयः परधर्मो भयावहः

śreyānsvadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmātsvanuṣṭhitāt | svadharme nidhanaṃ śreyaḥ paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ

Translation

Better one's own duty, though devoid of merit, than the duty of another well discharged. Better is death in one's own duty; the duty of another is productive of danger.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

śreyān

better

svadharmaḥ

own-duty

viguṇaḥ

without (good) quality

paradharmāt

of another, than the duty

svanuṣṭhitāt

(than) well done

svadharme

in own duty

nidhanam

death

śreyaḥ

better

paradharmaḥ

another's duty

bhayāvahaḥ

fear-bringing

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

For a man to die doing his own duty though devoid of merit is better than for him to live doing the duty of another though perfectly performed. For the duty of another leads to danger, such as hell (naraka).