Karma yoga

Sri bhagavan uvaca: Loke 'smin dvividha nishtha pura prokta mayanagha, jnana-yogena sankhyanam karma-yogena yoginam

Krishna explains that from the beginning of creation He has taught two paths: the path of knowledge (jnana yoga) for the contemplative, and the path of action (karma yoga) for the active. Both lead to the same supreme goal.

Na karmanam anarambhan naishkarmyam purusho 'shnute, na ca sannyasanad eva siddhim samadhigacchati

Not by abstaining from action does one attain freedom from action. Nor by mere renunciation does one attain perfection.

Yas tv indriyani manasa niyamyarabhate 'rjuna, karmendriyaih karma-yogam asaktah sa vishishyate

But one who controls the senses with the mind and engages in karma yoga through the organs of action, without attachment — that person is far superior. Genuine karma yoga unites mental control with engaged, detached action.

Arjuna uvaca: Sannyasam karmanam krishna punar yogam ca shamsasi, yac chreya etayor ekam tan me bruhi su-nishchitam

Arjuna asks Krishna to clarify definitively which is better — renunciation of action or the performance of action with devotion — since Krishna seems to praise both. This opening question frames the entire chapter's inquiry into true sannyasa versus karma yoga.

Sri bhagavan uvaca: Sannyasah karma-yogash ca nihshreyasa-karav ubhau, tayos tu karma-sannyasat karma-yogo vishishyate

Krishna replies that both renunciation and karma yoga lead to liberation, but karma yoga is superior to mere renunciation of action. The path of selfless action is practically more accessible and leads to the same supreme goal.

Yoga-yukto vishuddhatma vijithatma jitendriyah, sarva-bhutatma-bhutatma kurvann api na lipyate

The one united in yoga, with a purified self, mastered mind, and conquered senses, whose very self has become the Self of all beings — though acting, that person is never bound. This is the hallmark of the true karma yogi: action without bondage.

Kayena manasa buddhya kevalair indriyair api, yoginah karma kurvanti sangam tyaktvatma-shuddhaye

Yogis perform action with body, mind, intellect, and even the senses alone — all without attachment — for the purification of the self. This verse defines the spirit of karma yoga: using every faculty as a tool for self-purification rather than ego-gratification.

Sri bhagavan uvaca: Anashritah karma-phalam karyam karma karoti yah, sa sannyasi ca yogi ca na niragnir na cakriyah

The Lord says: One who performs prescribed duty without depending on the fruits of action is both a sannyasi and a yogi — not one who has merely given up fire or ceased all activity. True renunciation is defined by inner non-attachment, not by outer withdrawal.

Dhyanenātmani pashyanti kechid atmanam atmana, anye sankhyena yogena karma-yogena chapare

Some perceive the Supersoul within through meditation, others through the cultivation of knowledge (Sankhya), and yet others through the yoga of action (Karma Yoga). There are multiple valid paths to the same supreme realization.