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
Arjuna said: My Lord! At one moment, You praise renunciation of action; at another, You praise right action. Tell me truly, I pray, which of these is more conducive to my highest welfare?
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
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 |
Thou teachest renunciation of actions and also their performance. Tell decisively now which is better.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Compare renunciation of work with renunciation of attachment and examine the chapter’s account of inner freedom.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaArjuna said, "O Krsna, you praise renunciation of actions and, at the same time, Karma-yoga. Please tell me for certain which one is better between these two."
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaArjuna said, "O Krsna, you praise the renunciation of actions, and then you also praise Karma Yoga. Please tell me with certainty which of these is the superior one, leading to the ultimate good.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThou teachest renunciation of actions and also their performance. Tell decisively now which is better.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
My Lord! At one moment, You praise renunciation of action
- 2
at another, You praise right action
- 3
Tell me truly, I pray, which of these is more conducive to my highest welfare?
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture inner renunciation.
Link
Use the line starts: arjuna uvācha / sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ / yach chhreya.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Turn this reading into a study record
Save it, return from memory, and write one idea in your own words. Your record stays in this browser unless you export it.