Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 18: Freedom through Renunciation
Bhagavad Gita 18.45
स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः ।
स्वकर्मनिरतः सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु ॥
sve sve karmaṇyabhirataḥ saṃsiddhiṃ labhate naraḥ | svakarmanirataḥ siddhiṃ yathā vindati tacchṛṇu ||
A person attains perfection by being devoted to their own work. Hear how one who is devoted to their own work finds perfection.
Modern context
A person reaches perfection by being devoted to their own work. This is a liberating idea. One does not have to become a monk or a scholar to reach the highest. The farmer in the field, the teacher in the classroom, the nurse in the ward: each can reach perfection through their own work, done with devotion. The path to the divine runs through ordinary life.