Bhagavad Gita 2.48
Spoken by Krishna ★ Essential verse · Verse 48 of 72
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय । सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanaṃjaya | siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate ||
Do the work rooted in yoga, unattached. Equanimity in success and failure — that IS yoga.
Word by word (4)
- yoga-sthaḥ
- — established in yoga / rooted in union · From yoga (union, discipline) + stha (standing, abiding). The prefix yoga-stha indicates not occasional practice but a stable inner ground from which action arises — like a tree rooted deep that bends in wind without uprooting.
- saṅgaṃ tyaktvā
- — having abandoned attachment · Saṅga from sañj (to cling, to adhere). The tyaktvā (having abandoned) form indicates this is the prerequisite state before action, not an after-thought. Attachment to outcomes is what turns action into bondage.
- samatvaṃ yoga ucyate
- — equanimity is called yoga · Samatva from sama (equal, same) — a profound definition: yoga is not a technique or posture but the inner state of being unmoved by success or failure. This is the Gita's first direct definition of yoga, distinct from the later definition in V50.
- siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā
- — being equal in success and failure · Siddhi = success/accomplishment; asiddhi = failure/non-accomplishment. The dual case (both held together) shows equanimity is not indifference but a balanced inner stance that holds both outcomes with the same inner temperature.
Stay grounded in yoga, then act — let go of attachment, O Arjuna. Be the same whether you succeed or fail. That inner balance is what yoga actually means.
A modern analogy
A surgeon going into a high-risk operation: they prepare meticulously, focus completely, and operate with full skill — but they don't let their hands shake thinking 'what if I fail.' The stability of mind IS the yoga. The outcome follows from that.
Take with you
- Before starting any important task, pause and root yourself — not in the outcome, but in your intention.
- Equanimity is not 'not caring.' It is caring fully about the work while staying steady regardless of results.
- Attachment to success makes you timid; attachment to avoiding failure makes you reckless. Neither serves the work.
- Success and failure are weather. Your inner state is the ground — keep it stable regardless of weather.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
Dhananjaya, remain steadfast in yoga, do actions, giving up attachment. Remain equal in success and failure; for, equanimity is yoga. [1]
Fixed in yoga, do thy work, O Dhananjaya, abandoning attachment, being the same in success and failure; for evenness of mind is called yoga. [4]
Perform thy duty unmoved by fear of any outcome, O Dhananjaya; abandoning attachment, with even mind in success and failure — this evenness of mind is called yoga. [6]
Perform thy task, O Prince! Put off all fear; Be equal-minded — good and evil, gain And loss — do all things for Me, without Self-seeking. In such Yog let action be. [7]
Perform action, O Dhananjaya, abandoning attachment, being equable in success or failure; equanimity is said to be yoga. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Your right is to act — never to the fruits. Don't act for results. Don't hide in inaction.
The wisdom-yoked person rises above good and bad karma alike. Yoga is supreme skill in action.
Surrendering all actions to Brahman, abandoning attachment — like a lotus leaf, sin never clings.
Who acts in duty without depending on fruit — that one is the true sannyāsī and yogī, not the fireless or the inactive.
Sāttvic tyāga: niyata karma done ONLY because 'this must be done,' having abandoned attachment and fruit.
Treat pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat as equal — then engage. No sin follows from this.
Verse 48 of 72 · back to Chapter 2