Bhagavad Gita 2.50
Spoken by Krishna ★ Essential verse · Verse 50 of 72
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते । तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥
buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte | tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam ||
The wisdom-yoked person rises above good and bad karma alike. Yoga is supreme skill in action.
Word by word (4)
- buddhi-yuktaḥ
- — one united with / yoked to wisdom · Yukta from yuj (to yoke, to unite — the same root as 'yoga'). Buddhi-yukta is one whose intelligence operates free from ego-distortion — the awakened discriminating faculty that sees action clearly, without the filter of personal desire.
- jahāti ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte
- — abandons both good deeds and bad deeds · Jahāti (abandons, releases) — both good karma (sukṛta) and bad karma (duṣkṛte) are transcended. This is a radical statement: even meritorious action that accumulates spiritual credit is a subtle form of bondage. The buddhi-yukta transcends the entire karma ledger.
- yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
- — yoga is skill in action · Kauśala from kuśala (skilled, expert, auspicious). This is the Gita's second definition of yoga (V48 gave 'samatvam yoga ucyate'). Together they form a complete portrait: yoga is equanimity (inner state) AND skill (outer expression). Not dull passivity — luminous, competent, precise action.
- tasmād yogāya yujyasva
- — therefore, unite yourself to yoga · The imperative yujyasva (unite yourself!) is active and urgent. Yoga is not something done to you — it is self-application. Tasmāt (therefore) links this directly to the earlier argument: since buddhi-yoga transcends karma's merit-demerit ledger, unite yourself to it.
He who acts with wisdom casts off, even here in this life, both good and evil deeds. Therefore devote yourself to yoga; yoga is skill in action.
A modern analogy
An elite musician doesn't think 'this note is good, that one bad' while performing. They are in a state of complete absorption — the music flows through them with perfect skill. The audience may judge; they do not. That quality of absorbed, skilled, non-judging action is kauśalam — and the inner state that makes it possible is yoga.
Take with you
- Yoga is not about postures or retreat — it is about the quality of skill and presence you bring to any action.
- Transcending good and bad karma doesn't mean ethics don't matter — it means acting from wisdom rather than for karmic credit.
- The highest skill in any field comes from ego-quiet, absorbed, present action — that is yoga in daily life.
- You can practice yoga-as-skill anywhere: in how carefully you listen, how precisely you write, how fully you show up.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
One endowed with wisdom abandons here both good and evil karma. Therefore apply yourself to yoga; yoga is skill in action. [1]
The wisdom-yoked man casts off here both good and evil deeds; therefore devote thyself to yoga; yoga is skill in action. [4]
The wise man, guided by pure discernment, abandons both good and evil works. Therefore give thyself up to yoga; in action, yoga is the highest skill. [6]
The righteous man casts equally aside Good deeds and bad, being fixed in Yog; Therefore to Yog address thyself! Yog is The very craft and mystery of deeds! [7]
One possessed of understanding casts off in this world both good and evil deeds. Therefore devote yourself to yoga; yoga is dexterity in the performance of actions. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Do the work rooted in yoga, unattached. Equanimity in success and failure — that IS yoga.
Therefore: do your required action without attachment — this is the path that leads to the Supreme.
Attachment to fruits abandoned, ever content, no dependence — fully active yet truly doing nothing at all.
One's own dharma even imperfectly done is better than another's well done; svabhāva-ordained karma incurs no sin.
However you approach Me — I respond in that same way. All human paths ultimately follow My path.
Seeing inaction in action, action in inaction — that one is wise, a yogi, a complete doer of all actions.
Verse 50 of 72 · back to Chapter 2