Esha te 'bhihita sankhye buddhir yoge tv imam shrinu buddhya yukto yaya partha karma-bandham prahasyasi
So far I have declared to you the wisdom of Sankhya philosophy. Now hear about Yoga, by which you shall break through the bonds of karma. Having explained the Sankhya (philosophical analysis of the self), Krishna now transitions to the practical path of Yoga — specifically karma yoga, the yoga of selfless action.
- •Sankhya wisdom and yoga practice are complementary paths
- •Karma yoga breaks the bondage of karmic consequences
- •Theory and practice must be united for spiritual liberation
Yoga-sthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktva dhananjaya, siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva samatvam yoga ucyate
Perform your duty equipoised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga.
- •Equanimity in success and failure
- •Balance is the essence of yoga
- •Detachment brings peace
Buddhi-yukto jahatiha ubhe sukrita-dushkrite, tasmad yogaya yujyasva yogah karmasu kaushalam
One who practices yoga of the intellect abandons both good and bad deeds in this life. Therefore, strive for yoga. Yoga is skill in action.
- •Yoga transcends ordinary morality
- •Skillful action is the goal
- •Balance and wisdom in all activities
Shruti-vipratipanna te yada sthasyati nishchala samadhav acala buddhis tada yogam avapsyasi
When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization, then you will have attained the divine consciousness. True yoga is attained when the intellect becomes unwavering and fixed in samadhi, undistracted by scriptural promises or worldly allurements.
- •Samadhi is the state of unmoved, self-established intelligence
- •Yoga is fully attained when the mind rests unshakably in the self
- •Scriptural knowledge must give way to direct self-realization
Nasti buddhir ayuktasya na cayuktasya bhavana na cabhavayatah shantir ashantasya kutah sukham
One who is not connected with the Supreme can have neither transcendental intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace? This verse traces the chain of consequences from spiritual disconnection to suffering: no yoga, no intellect; no intellect, no meditation; no meditation, no peace; no peace, no happiness.
- •Spiritual disconnection is the root cause of all human suffering
- •Peace is the prerequisite for genuine happiness
- •Without disciplined mind and spiritual connection, neither wisdom nor joy is possible
Daivam evapare yajnam yoginah paryupasate, brahmagnavapare yajnam yajnenaivopajuhvati
Some yogis worship the demigods perfectly as sacrifice; others offer sacrifice into the fire of Brahman through sacrifice itself. There are many valid forms of spiritual offering.
- •Multiple forms of sacrifice are recognized as valid
- •The spirit of offering is universal across traditions
- •All sincere spiritual practice is a form of yajna
Sarvanindriaya-karmani prana-karmani capare, atma-samyama-yogagnau juhvati jnana-dipite
Others sacrifice all the functions of the senses and all the functions of the life force into the fire of yoga for self-restraint, kindled with knowledge.
- •Yoga itself is a sacred fire in which all activity is offered
- •Self-restraint illumined by knowledge is the highest sacrifice
- •All vital functions can be consciously surrendered
Apane juhvati pranam prane 'panam tathapare, pranapana-gati ruddhva pranayama-parayanah
Others offer the outgoing breath into the incoming breath, and the incoming breath into the outgoing, practicing pranayama and controlling the movement of breath — they have dedicated themselves to breath-control as their sacrifice.
- •Pranayama is a form of inner sacrifice
- •Breath control is a legitimate and powerful yogic offering
- •The life force itself can become an offering to the divine
Na hi jnanena sadrisham pavitram iha vidyate, tat svayam yoga-samsiddhah kalenatmani vindati
In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the mature fruit of all mysticism. One who has become accomplished in yoga finds it within their own self in due course of time.
- •Knowledge is the highest purifier
- •Wisdom comes through practice
- •Inner realization through discipline
Yoga-sannyasta-karmanam jnana-sanchinna-samsayam, atma-vantam na karmani nibadhnanti dhananjaya
One who has renounced action through yoga, whose doubts have been cut asunder by knowledge, and who is self-possessed — actions do not bind that person, O Dhananjaya.
- •The union of yoga, knowledge, and self-possession produces freedom
- •Doubt severed by knowledge opens the door to liberation
- •Karma cannot bind the one who acts with full inner mastery
Tasmad ajnana-sambhutam hrit-stham jnanasinantmana, chittvainam samsayam yogam atishthottishtha bharata
Therefore, with the sword of knowledge, cut asunder the doubt born of ignorance that is lodged in your heart. Arise, O Bharata, take refuge in yoga and stand up to fight.
- •Knowledge is the weapon that cuts through doubt
- •Action must follow illumination — do not remain passive
- •Yoga is the refuge that makes decisive action possible
Sankhya-yogau prithag balah pravadanti na panditah, ekam apy asthitah samyag ubhayor vindate phalam
Only the ignorant see Sankhya (knowledge/renunciation) and yoga (selfless action) as different paths; the wise know that one who follows either sincerely attains the fruit of both. They are not truly separate — they converge in the same liberation.
- •Knowledge and action are not truly separate
- •The wise see unity where the uninformed see division
- •Sincere practice of either path reaches the same destination
Yat sankhyaih prapyate sthanam tad yogair api gamyate, ekam sankhyam ca yogam ca yah pashyati sa pashyati
The state reached by followers of Sankhya is also reached by practitioners of yoga; those who truly see, see that Sankhya and yoga are one. This is the unifying vision that dissolves the false debate between contemplation and action.
- •The destination of both paths is identical
- •True vision perceives the unity of knowledge and action
- •Sectarian distinctions dissolve in genuine understanding
Sannyasas tu maha-baho duhkham aptum ayogatah, yoga-yukto munir brahma na cirenadhigacchati
True renunciation is difficult to attain without the discipline of yoga; the sage who is united in yoga reaches Brahman without delay. Renunciation without inner purification through practice is painful and fruitless.
- •External renunciation without inner yoga is burdensome
- •Yoga prepares the mind for genuine renunciation
- •The yogi attains Brahman swiftly through disciplined practice
Yam sannyasam iti prahur yogam tam viddhi pandava, na hy asannyasta-sankalpo yogi bhavati kashcana
Know that what people call sannyasa is the same as yoga, O Pandava; no one can become a yogi without renouncing selfish desire. The renunciation of personal desire (sankalpa) is the inner essence of both sannyasa and yoga.
- •Sannyasa and yoga are two names for the same inner state
- •Renouncing selfish desire is the prerequisite for becoming a yogi
- •The mind's attachment to personal outcomes must be released
Tam vidyad duhkha-samyoga-viyogam yoga-samjnitam, sa nishchayena yoktavyo yogo 'nirviinna-chetasa
The state of freedom from all miseries is known as yoga. This yoga should be practiced with determination and an undepressed mind.
- •Yoga means freedom from suffering
- •Practice requires determination
- •Maintain positive mindset
Shri bhagavan uvaca: Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-ashrayah, asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrinu
The Supreme Lord said: O son of Partha, hear how you shall know Me fully and without doubt, with your mind fixed on Me, taking refuge in Me, and practicing yoga with devotion. This verse opens the chapter by promising complete knowledge of the Divine through devoted practice and surrender.
- •Fixing the mind on God is the foundation of spiritual knowledge
- •Taking refuge in the Divine removes all doubt
- •Complete knowledge of God is attainable through devoted yoga
Udarah sarva evaite jnani tv atmaiva me matam, asthitah sa hi yuktatma mam evanuttamam gatim
All these devotees are certainly noble souls, but I consider the jnani to be My very Self. Established in yoga, the jnani has attained Me as the supreme goal. While all four types of devotees are noble, the enlightened devotee (jnani) who sees no distinction between self and God is considered the most exalted.
- •All sincere devotees are noble regardless of their level
- •The jnani realizes non-difference between self and God
- •The highest yoga is to see the Supreme as one's own true nature
Prayana-kale manasacalena bhaktya yukto yoga-balena caiva, bhruvor madhye pranam aveshya samyak sa tam param purusham upaiti divyam
One who at the time of death fixes the life-air between the eyebrows with devotion and the power of yoga, with the mind not deviating — that person attains the divine Supreme Person. The yogic practice of drawing the prana to the ajna chakra (between the eyebrows) at the moment of death facilitates conscious union with the Divine.
- •Yogic mastery of prana enables conscious departure at death
- •The ajna chakra is the focal point for liberation at the moment of death
- •Devotion combined with yogic practice leads to the Supreme
Naite srtii partha janan yogi muhyati kashcana, tasmat sarveshu kaleshu yoga-yukto bhavarjuna
O Partha, knowing these two paths, no yogi is deluded. Therefore, O Arjuna, be steadfast in yoga at all times. Knowing the two paths removes fear of death and confusion about the afterlife — this knowledge empowers the yogi to practice steadily without anxiety.
- •Knowledge of the two paths dispels confusion and delusion about death
- •This knowledge motivates steady yogic practice at all times
- •The enlightened yogi is not bewildered by the mystery of death
Na ca mat-sthani bhutani pashya me yogam aishvaram, bhuta-bhrn na ca bhuta-stho mamatma bhuta-bhavanah
And yet beings do not rest in Me — behold My divine mystery! My Self, which sustains all beings and brings them into existence, does not actually dwell in them. Just as the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, always rests in space, so do all beings rest in Me.
- •God sustains creation without being confined by it
- •The divine is both immanent and transcendent simultaneously
- •Understanding divine mystery requires contemplative perception
Etam vibhutim yogam ca mama yo vetti tattvatah, so 'vikalpena yogena yujyate natra samshayah
One who knows in truth this divine glory and power of Mine becomes united with Me through unwavering yoga — of this there is no doubt. Genuine knowledge of the Lord's vibhutis (divine manifestations) is not mere intellectual information but a living realisation that itself becomes a form of yoga.
- •True knowledge of divine glory leads directly to yoga union with God
- •Knowing God's opulences is itself a form of spiritual practice
- •Unwavering yoga follows naturally from deep knowledge of the divine
Yatanto yoginash cainam pashyanty atmany avasthitam, yatanto 'py akrtātmano nainam pashyanty acetasah
The endeavoring yogis see this soul clearly within themselves. But those who are not self-realized — even though they endeavor — cannot see it, for their minds are not purified. Sincere spiritual practice and inner purification are essential conditions for perceiving the soul; effort alone without self-purification is insufficient.
- •Sincere yogic practice enables direct perception of the soul within
- •Self-purification is essential — effort without inner cleansing fails to reveal the soul
- •The soul is ever-present but only visible to those with a purified mind
dhritya yaya dharayate manah-pranendriya-kriyah yogenavyabhicarinya dhriti sa partha sattviki
The steadiness by which one holds the functions of mind, life-force, and senses in check through unwavering yoga — that steadiness is sattvic, O Arjuna. Sattvic dhriti is the unshakeable inner strength of a disciplined yogi.
- •Sattvic steadiness controls mind, prana, and the senses through yoga
- •Unwavering, non-wavering consistency is the mark of sattvic dhriti
- •This inner firmness is the foundation for sustained spiritual practice