The Yoga of Liberation by Renunciation

Krishna emphasizes the importance of one's own duty. 'Śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt'—one's own duty (svadharmaḥ), even if imperfect (viguṇaḥ), is better (śreyān) than another's duty (paradharmāt) well-performed (svanuṣṭhitāt). 'Svadharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ'—death (nidhanam) in one's own duty (svadharme) is better (śreyaḥ); another's duty (paradharmaḥ) is fearful (bhayāvahaḥ). This is the key teaching: your own duty, even if done imperfectly, is better than someone else's duty done perfectly. It's better to die doing your own duty than to do someone else's duty. This emphasizes that duty is not about perfection—it's about alignment with your nature. When you do someone else's duty, even if you do it well, it creates fear and bondage because it's not aligned with your nature.