Bhagavad-gītā 5.4
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
सांख्ययोगौ पृथग्बालाः प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिताः। एकमप्यास्थितः सम्यगुभयोर्विन्दते फलम्।।5.4।।
sānkhya-yogau pṛithag bālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ ekamapyāsthitaḥ samyag ubhayor vindate phalam
Children, not the wise, speak of knowledge and performance of action, as distinct. He who truly lives in one, gains the fruits of both.
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 |
|---|---|
| sānkhya | renunciation of actions |
| yogau | karm yog |
| pṛithak | different |
| bālāḥ | the ignorant |
| pravadanti | say |
| na | never |
| paṇḍitāḥ | the learned |
| ekam | in one |
| api | even |
| āsthitaḥ | being situated |
| samyak | completely |
| ubhayoḥ | of both |
| vindate | achieve |
| phalam | the result |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from sānkhya (renunciation of actions), ekam (in one), and phalam (the result). 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 5.4.
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
Children, not the wise, speak of knowledge and performance of action, as distinct
- 2
He who truly lives in one, gains the fruits of both
- 3
sānkhya: renunciation of actions
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.4, 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 5.4 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 5.4 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 5.4 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.4, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
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