Bhagavad Gita 5.1 meaningFreedom while fully engaged
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
Arjuna asks: “Which is better — giving everything up, or working selflessly?”
What it means
Arjuna says: “Krishna, you praise giving up action, and then you praise acting selflessly. Tell me clearly which one is better.”
The original Sanskrit
अर्जुन उवाच । संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि । यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ॥
arjuna uvāca saṃnyāsaṃ karmaṇāṃ kṛṣṇa punaryogaṃ ca śaṃsasi yacchreya etayorekaṃ tanme brūhi suniścitam
Translations
Literal translation
Arjuna said: O Krsna, You praise renunciation of actions, and again, (Karma-) yoga. Tell me for certain that one which is better between these two.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
अर्जुन ने कहा हे -- कृष्ण ! आप कर्मों के संन्यास की और फिर योग (कर्म के आचरण) की प्रशंसा करते हैं। इन दोनों में एक जो निश्चय पूर्वक श्रेयस्कर है, उसको मेरे लिए कहिये।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 5.2Krishna replies: “Both lead to freedom. But of the two, acting selflessly is better than simply giving up action.”