Bhagavad-gītā 5.1
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अर्जुन उवाच संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि। यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्िचतम्।।5.1।।
arjuna uvācha sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛiṣhṇa punar yogaṁ cha śhansasi yach chhreya etayor ekaṁ tan me brūhi su-niśhchitam
Renunciation of action, O Krishna, thou commendest, and again, its performance. Which is the better one of these? Do thou tell me decisively.
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 |
|---|---|
| arjunaḥ uvācha | Arjun said |
| sanyāsam | renunciation |
| karmaṇām | of actions |
| kṛiṣhṇa | Shree Krishna |
| punaḥ | again |
| yogam | about karm yog |
| cha | also |
| śhansasi | you praise |
| yat | which |
| śhreyaḥ | more beneficial |
| etayoḥ | of the two |
| ekam | one |
| tat | that |
| me | unto me |
| brūhi | please tell |
| su-niśhchitam | conclusively |
Use the word map to follow the relation among arjunaḥ uvācha (Arjun said), yat (which), and su-niśhchitam (conclusively). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to renunciation within responsible work. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 5.1.
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: Compare renunciation of work with renunciation of attachment and examine the chapter’s account of inner freedom.
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
Renunciation of action, O Krishna, thou commendest
- 2
again, its performance
- 3
Which is the better one of these? Do thou tell me decisively
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Cover
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.1, 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 5.1 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 5.1 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 5.1 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.1, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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