Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya Charan

So Krishan will give examples even if there are faults one should not give duty because of it.

Bg 18.48

saha-jaṁ karma kaunteya
sa-doṣam api na tyajet
sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa
dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ

Synonyms: 

sahajam — born simultaneously; karma — work; kaunteya — O son of Kuntī; sadoṣam — with fault; api — although; na — never; tyajet — one should give up; sarvaārambhāḥ — all ventures; hi — certainly; doṣeṇa — with fault; dhūmena — with smoke; agniḥ — fire; iva — as; āvṛtāḥ — covered.

Translation: 

Every endeavor is covered by some fault, just as fire is covered by smoke. Therefore one should not give up the work born of his nature, O son of Kuntī, even if such work is full of fault.

saha-jaṁ karma, born with Karma, sa-doṣam, some fault, so born with karma is some fault but na tyajet, one should not give it up

sarvārambhā hi doṣeṇa, all activities has some faults, 

just as dhūmenāgnir ivāvṛtāḥ, dhuma is smoke, agni is fire so fire is considered to be auspicious, fire is used for Yagna, for cooking for warmth but smoke is not considered desirable but when there is fire there is smoke but one has to expertly handle fire so that smoke goes away and fire blazes forth but one has to tolerate smoke as long as it is there, similarly one has to tolerate faults in one’s prescribed duties similarly while doing a prescribed duty there are something which are palatable and something are not palatable so we recognize unpalatable and put them aside tolerate them.

End of transcription.