Bhagavad-gītā 3.2
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
व्यामिश्रेणेव वाक्येन बुद्धिं मोहयसीव मे। तदेकं वद निश्िचत्य येन श्रेयोऽहमाप्नुयाम्।।3.2।।
vyāmiśhreṇeva vākyena buddhiṁ mohayasīva me tad ekaṁ vada niśhchitya yena śhreyo ’ham āpnuyām
With these seemingly conflicting words, Thou art, as it were, bewildering my understanding;:tell me that one thing for certain, by which I can attain to the highest.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| vyāmiśhreṇa iva | by your apparently ambiguous |
| vākyena | words |
| buddhim | intellect |
| mohayasi | I am getting bewildered |
| iva | as it were |
| me | my |
| tat | therefore |
| ekam | one |
| vada | please tell |
| niśhchitya | decisively |
| yena | by which |
| śhreyaḥ | the highest good |
| aham | I |
| āpnuyām | may attain |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from vyāmiśhreṇa iva (by your apparently ambiguous), ekam (one), and āpnuyām (may attain). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to work offered without possessiveness. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 3.2.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Distinguish action, duty, sacrifice, example, desire and attachment without treating karma-yoga as inactivity.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
With these seemingly conflicting words, Thou art, as it were, bewildering my understanding
- 2
tell me that one thing for certain, by which I can attain to the highest
- 3
vyāmiśhreṇa iva: by your apparently ambiguous
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture disciplined action.
Link
Use the line starts: vyāmiśhreṇeva vākyena / tad ekaṁ.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.2, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 3.2 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 3.2 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 3.2 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 3.2, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition