Bhagavad Gita 2.39
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 39 of 72
एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु। बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि॥
eṣā te 'bhihitā sāṃkhye buddhir yoge tv imāṃ śṛṇu / buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karma-bandhaṃ prahāsyasi
Sankhya gave the map. Now hear Yoga — the vehicle by which you break free from the bonds of karma.
Word by word (4)
- eṣā te 'bhihitā sāṃkhye buddhiḥ
- — this wisdom has been declared to you in Sankhya (analysis) · 'Sāṃkhya' — enumeration, analysis. V12-37 was the Sankhya section: analysis of the nature of the self. Now the teaching shifts to practice.
- yoge tv imāṃ śṛṇu
- — now hear it in Yoga — listen
- buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha
- — endowed with which intellect, O Partha
- karma-bandhaṃ prahāsyasi
- — you will cast off the bonds of action · 'Karma-bandha' — the binding karma generated by ego-motivated action. Yoga (skill in equanimous action) does not generate this binding.
'That was the wisdom explained to you through Sankhya. Now hear it taught through Yoga, O Partha. Armed with this wisdom, you will cast off the bonds of action.'
A modern analogy
First the map (the nature of the self — Sankhya), now the vehicle (how to move through the territory — Yoga). Both are required. The map without the vehicle leaves you knowing where to go but not how to get there. The vehicle without the map leaves you moving without knowing where. This verse marks the transition: the map has been given; now the vehicle.
Take with you
- Sankhya = knowledge of the nature of reality (the self is eternal, etc.) — the teaching just given on the soul's immortality.
- Yoga = practical wisdom of how to act given that knowledge — the path of treating gain and loss as equal that begins from here.
- 'Karma-bandham prahāsyasi' — you will cast off the bonds of karma. Action done with the right understanding and orientation does not create binding karmic results.
Public-domain translations (3) compare all →
This, the Buddhi (wisdom) taught to you in Sankhya, now listen to it in Yoga — endowed with which intellect you shall cast off the bonds of action, O Partha. [4]
This is the wisdom of the Sankhya; now hear the wisdom of the Yoga, armed with which wisdom thou shalt break through karma's chain. [7]
This is the wisdom of the Sankhya taught to you; hear the wisdom of the Yoga. Possessed of that intellect, O Partha, you will cast off the bonds of action. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat as equal — then engage. No sin follows from this.
Your right is to act — never to the fruits. Don't act for results. Don't hide in inaction.
Therefore: do your required action without attachment — this is the path that leads to the Supreme.
All actions are done by the gunas of nature. The ego-deluded one thinks 'I am the doer' — this is the root of bondage.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
Do My work, hold Me supreme, be My devotee, attachment-free, without enmity toward all — such a one comes to Me!
Verse 39 of 72 · back to Chapter 2