Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 48
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते।।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते।।
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate
also searched as "yogasthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktva dhananjaya"
Translation
Abandoning attachment and established in Yoga, perform works, viewing success and failure with an even mind. Evenness of mind is said to be Yoga.
Vāṇi's rendering
Act from steadiness, letting attachment go, the same in success and failure. That evenness is yoga.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| योगस्थःyoga-sthaḥ | standing in yoga; established in that steadiness |
| कुरुkuru | do, perform |
| कर्माणिkarmāṇi | actions, the work at hand |
| सङ्गम्saṅgaṁ | clinging, the grip of attachment |
| त्यक्त्वाtyaktvā | having let go |
| धनञ्जयdhanañjaya | O Dhananjaya — winner of wealth, Arjuna |
| सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योःsiddhy-asiddhyoḥ | in success and in failure (siddhi + asiddhi joined) |
| समःsamo | the same, level; samaḥ becomes samo before bhūtvā |
| भूत्वाbhūtvā | having become |
| समत्वम्samatvaṁ | evenness, sameness of mind |
| योगःyoga | yoga; yogaḥ loses its ending before ucyate |
| उच्यतेucyate | is called, is named |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 48 mean?
It tells you where to stand while you work. Let go of the grip on outcomes, act from steadiness, and meet success and failure with the same face. Krishna then defines yoga itself as that evenness — samatvaṁ. Not a technique, not a retreat from the world, but the level ground beneath every action you take.
What does yogasthah kuru karmani mean?
Standing in yoga, do the work. Yogasthaḥ is a posture of the whole person, not the body — settled, unclutched, not leaning toward a result. From there, karmāṇi kuru: act fully. Krishna is not asking Arjuna to do less. He is asking him to do it from a place that does not wobble.
Does evenness of mind mean I should stop caring about results?
No. Caring about the work and clinging to its outcome are different motions. You can aim carefully, plan well, want the good result — and still not hand your steadiness over to it. Saṅgaṁ tyaktvā is releasing the grip, not the effort. The arrow leaves your hand either way.
Why does Krishna define yoga as samatvam here?
Because Arjuna needs a definition he can use on a battlefield, not in a cave. Samatvaṁ is portable. It asks nothing of your circumstances and everything of your relationship to them. Wherever you already are, whatever the day brings, the practice is the same: stay level as the outcomes come and go.
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Commentary
Krishna has just taken the results out of Arjuna's hands. Now he says where to stand instead. Yoga here is not posture or withdrawal — it is the ground you act from, and Krishna names it precisely: evenness. Not indifference to the work; indifference to which way it falls. Arjuna will still aim, still choose, still care whether the arrow flies true. What changes is that success will not inflate him and failure will not empty him. Samatvaṁ. The same person before the outcome and after it. You will know you have it when praise and blame arrive and your hands keep working.