सहजं कर्म कौन्तेय सदोषमपि न त्यजेत् | सर्वारम्भा हि दोषेण धूमेनाग्निरिवावृताः ||
saha-jaṁ karma kaunteya sa-doṣam api na tyajet sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ
Translation
One should not abandon the duty born with oneself, O Arjuna, even if it is faulty; for all undertakings are covered by defects as fire is by smoke.
Interpretation
Even one's inborn duty (sahajam karma — the work one is born to do) should not be abandoned even if it has defects. The simile is perfect: all fire produces smoke; you cannot have the warmth and light of fire without some smoke. All action in the world carries some imperfection — some collateral cost, some limitation, some error. The answer is not to cease action but to act with wisdom, improving continuously while accepting that imperfection is inherent to manifest existence. Pursuing perfection endlessly before acting often means never acting at all.