Bhagavad-gītā 6.46
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः। कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन।।6.46।।
tapasvibhyo ’dhiko yogī jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ karmibhyaśh chādhiko yogī tasmād yogī bhavārjuna
The Yogi is regarded as superior to those who practise asceticism, also to those who have obtained wisdom (through the Shâstras). He is also superior to the performers of action, (enjoined in the Vedas). Therefore, be thou a Yogi, O Arjuna!
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 |
|---|---|
| tapasvibhyaḥ | than the ascetics |
| adhikaḥ | superior |
| yogī | a yogi |
| jñānibhyaḥ | than the persons of learning |
| api | even |
| mataḥ | considered |
| adhikaḥ | superior |
| karmibhyaḥ | than the ritualistic performers |
| cha | and |
| adhikaḥ | superior |
| yogī | a yogi |
| tasmāt | therefore |
| yogī | a yogi |
| bhava | just become |
| arjuna | Arjun |
Begin with the verse itself, then trace its movement through tapasvibhyaḥ (than the ascetics), karmibhyaḥ (than the ritualistic performers), and arjuna (Arjun). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the disciplined and recollected mind. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 6.46.
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: Sequence preparation, discipline, mind, meditation, difficulty, failure and the chapter’s final comparison of yogīs.
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
The Yogi is regarded as superior to those who practise asceticism, also to those who have obtained wisdom (through the Shâstras)
- 2
He is also superior to the performers of action, (enjoined in the Vedas)
- 3
Therefore, be thou a Yogi, O Arjuna!
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 6.46, 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 6.46 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 6.46 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 6.46 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 6.46, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition