Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 18 · Verse 46
BG 18.46
Verse 46 of Chapter 18 — Liberation Through Renunciation.
sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ | sva-karma-nirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tac chṛṇu ||
Sanskrit / Transliteration
TRANSLATION
By worshipping God through one's own work, a person can attain perfection.
EXPLANATION
The work-as-worship principle. Your occupation, your craft, your daily labor — all of it can be a path to perfection if performed as an offering to the divine. This verse democratizes spiritual practice radically: you don't need to leave the world, become a monk, or perform special rituals. The doctor, the farmer, the carpenter, the teacher — each can reach the same perfection through excellence and offering in their own field. This is the Gita's social vision: a society of people doing their work as conscious offering, each in their own role.