Chapter 5, Verse 1
Part of 5: Karm Sanyās Yog — कर्मसंन्यासयोगअर्जुन उवाच संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि। यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्िचतम्॥
Transliteration
arjuna uvācha sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛiṣhṇa punar yogaṁ cha śhansasi yach chhreya etayor ekaṁ tan me brūhi su-niśhchitam
Meaning
Arjuna said, "O Krishna, you praise renunciation of actions and also yoga. Please tell me conclusively which is better of the two."
Word-by-word meaning
arjunaḥ uvācha — Arjun saidsanyāsam — renunciationkarmaṇām — of actionskṛiṣhṇa — Shree Krishnapunaḥ — againyogam — about karm yogcha — alsośhansasi — you praiseyat — whichśhreyaḥ — more beneficialetayoḥ — of the twoekam — onetat — thatme — unto mebrūhi — please tellsu-niśhchitam — conclusively
Commentary
Thou teachest renunciation of actions and also their performance. This has confused me. Tell decisively now which is better. It is not possible for a man to resort to both of them at the same time. Yoga here means Karma Yoga. (Cf. III.2)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5, Verse 1?▼
Arjuna said, "O Krishna, you praise renunciation of actions and also yoga. Please tell me conclusively which is better of the two."
Which chapter and verse of the Bhagavad Gita is this?▼
This is verse 1 of Chapter 5 (Karm Sanyās Yog — Path of Renunciation) of the Bhagavad Gita, a scripture of 18 chapters and 700 verses spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna.