Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 39
एषा तेऽभिहिता सांख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां श्रृणु।
बुद्ध्यायुक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि।।
बुद्ध्यायुक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि।।
eṣā te ’bhihitā sānkhye
buddhir yoge tvimāṁ śṛṇu
buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha
karma-bandhaṁ prahāsyasi
also searched as "esha te bhihita sankhye buddhir yoge tvimam shrinu"
Translation
This Buddhi concerning the Self (Sankhya) has been imparted to you. Now listen to this with regard to Yoga, by following which you will get rid of the bondage of Karma.
Vāṇi's rendering
So far, the wisdom of understanding. Now hear the wisdom of practice, which breaks the bondage of action.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| एषाeṣā | this |
| तेte | to you |
| अभिहिताabhihitā | has been declared, spoken out (sandhi: te + abhihitā becomes te 'bhihitā) |
| सांख्येsānkhye | in Sāṅkhya — the way of clear understanding, of knowing what is real |
| बुद्धिःbuddhiḥ | wisdom, the settled insight of the mind |
| योगेyoge | in yoga — the way of practice, of acting |
| तुtu | but, now (sandhi: tu + imām becomes tvimām) |
| इमाम्imām | this (wisdom) |
| श्रृणुśṛṇu | hear, listen |
| बुद्ध्याbuddhyā | by this wisdom |
| युक्तःyuktaḥ | joined with, equipped with |
| ययाyayā | by which |
| पार्थpārtha | Arjuna, son of Pṛthā |
| कर्मबन्धम्karma-bandham | the bondage that action ties around you |
| प्रहास्यसिprahāsyasi | you will cast off, you will let fall away |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 39 mean?
It is a hinge. Krishna says the wisdom of understanding has been given; now comes the wisdom of practice. Sāṅkhya shows you what is true. Yoga puts that truth into your hands and your hours. Held together, they loosen the grip that action has on you — the bondage you tie each time you work for a result.
What is the difference between Sankhya and Yoga in this verse?
Sāṅkhya is seeing — the discrimination that separates what perishes from what does not. Yoga here is doing — the same insight carried into the fingers, the schedule, the ordinary task. Krishna does not rank them. He simply notes that Arjuna has been given the first and still stands frozen, so the second must follow.
What is karma bandha, the bondage of action?
Not action itself, but the ropes attached to it — the wanting, the claiming, the anxious tracking of outcome. Every act done for its fruit adds another strand. Krishna promises that work done in the spirit he is about to teach adds nothing. You still act. Nothing sticks to you afterward.
What does esha te bhihita sankhye buddhir yoge tvimam shrinu teach us?
That teaching arrives in two halves, and most people stop after the first. Knowing the truth about the self is real progress and it will not, by itself, move your feet. Krishna asks Arjuna to listen again. The instruction that follows is meant not for the mind but for the day in front of you.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna marks a turn here, and says so plainly. Everything until now was Sāṅkhya — seeing rightly, knowing what dies and what does not. It is true, and it is not enough. Arjuna already understands, and still cannot lift the bow. So Krishna changes register: now hear the wisdom that works in the hands. Knowing frees you from confusion; practice frees you from the chain that action itself forges, link by link, every day you act for a result. You have read enough. What binds you now is not ignorance but habit, and habit only loosens where you stand and act.