Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 5, Verse 1
अर्जुन उवाच
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि।
यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम्।।
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि।
यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम्।।
arjuna uvāca
sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛṣṇa punar yogaṁ ca śansasi
yac cchreya etayor ekaṁ tan me brūhi su-niścitam
also searched as "sannyasam karmanam krishna punar yogam cha shamsasi"
Translation
Arjuna said, "O Krsna, you praise the renunciation of actions, and then you also praise Karma Yoga. Please tell me with certainty which of these is the superior one, leading to the ultimate good.
Vāṇi's rendering
You praise renouncing action, then you praise acting. Which of the two is better? Tell me plainly.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अर्जुनःarjunaḥ | Arjuna |
| उवाचuvāca | said |
| संन्यासम्sannyāsam | the laying down, the renouncing |
| कर्मणाम्karmaṇām | of actions, of works |
| कृष्णkṛṣṇa | O Krishna |
| पुनःpunaḥ | again, and then (joins as punar before yogam) |
| योगम्yogam | the yoga of action, the doing of work |
| चca | and |
| शंससिśansasi | you praise, you commend |
| यत्yat | which (joins as yac before śreyaḥ) |
| श्रेयःśreyaḥ | better, more good |
| एतयोःetayoḥ | of these two |
| एकम्ekam | the one |
| तत्tat | that |
| मेme | to me |
| ब्रूहिbrūhi | tell, speak |
| सुनिश्चितम्su-niścitam | decisively, without leaving it open |
Frequently asked
Why does Arjuna ask this question again after Krishna has already answered in chapter 3?
Because the answer had not landed as a decision. Krishna praised renouncing action and also praised doing it, and Arjuna is standing on a battlefield where he must choose one motion of the body. Understanding that both are valid does not tell a man what to do at dawn.
What does sannyasa mean here, and how is it different from yoga?
Sannyāsa in this verse is the laying down of works — stepping out of action altogether. Yoga is karma-yoga, staying inside the work while giving up the claim on its fruit. Arjuna hears them as rival roads. Krishna will answer that one road contains the other.
Is it wrong to want a plain answer from a teacher?
No. Arjuna's suniścitam — tell me decisively — is not impatience but sincerity. He intends to act on whatever he hears. Krishna does not scold him for it; he answers in the very next verse. Wanting clarity you will actually use is not a lesser kind of asking.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Arjuna is not being difficult. He has listened for four chapters, and Krishna has praised two roads that look like opposites — put the work down, take the work up. A mind that wants to obey needs to know which. So he asks the honest question of anyone given too much teaching: just tell me plainly. Not the subtle answer. Not both at once. One. Notice he does not ask what is true; he asks what is better for him. That is where practice begins and philosophy stops. You have stood there too — the instructions multiplying, and you still have to move by morning.