Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 5, Verse 2
श्री भगवानुवाच
संन्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरावुभौ।
तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते।।
संन्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरावुभौ।
तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते।।
śrī bhagavān uvāca
sannyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca niḥśreyasa-karāvubhau
tayos tu karma-sannyāsāt karma-yogo viśiṣyate
also searched as "sannyasah karmayogascha nihshreyasakaravubhau"
Translation
The Lord said, "Renunciation of actions and Karma Yoga both lead to the highest excellence; however, of the two, Karma Yoga surpasses renunciation of actions."
Vāṇi's rendering
Both lead to the highest good. But of the two, acting in yoga surpasses renouncing action.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| श्री भगवान्śrī bhagavān | Krishna, the blessed one |
| उवाचuvāca | said |
| संन्यासःsannyāsaḥ | the laying down of action; renunciation |
| कर्मयोगःkarma-yogaḥ | acting while joined in yoga |
| चca | and |
| निःश्रेयसकरौniḥśreyasa-karau | bringing about the highest good |
| उभौubhau | both (joined by sandhi to the preceding word) |
| तयोःtayoḥ | of those two |
| तुtu | but |
| कर्मसंन्यासात्karma-sannyāsāt | than the renouncing of action |
| कर्मयोगःkarma-yogaḥ | acting while joined in yoga |
| विशिष्यतेviśiṣyate | stands out, is the better |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 Verse 2 mean?
Krishna answers Arjuna's question by refusing to disqualify either path. Renunciation of action and karma-yoga both reach the highest good. Then he ranks them: acting in yoga surpasses renouncing action, because the one who keeps working has to meet his own wanting daily, in the open, rather than mistaking withdrawal for freedom.
What does sannyasah karmayogascha nihshreyasakaravubhau teach about renunciation?
That renunciation is genuine, not wrong. Krishna calls both paths niḥśreyasa-kara — makers of the highest good. But dropping the outer work is easier than dropping the inner claim on results. Karma-yoga does the harder, surer thing: it leaves the hands busy and empties the grip.
Why is karma yoga said to be better than renunciation?
Not because action is holier than stillness. Because action tests you. In work, every demand for credit and every fear of failure surfaces where you can see it and release it. Withdraw too early and the same demands go underground, unwatched. Krishna prefers the path where you cannot hide from yourself.
Should I leave my job or duties to follow a spiritual path?
This verse leans the other way. Stay where your work is and change what you want from it. Krishna's point is that the outer arrangement matters less than the inner release; a life left behind in hope of peace often carries the same restlessness into the quiet. Work, without needing the reward.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Arjuna wanted one road named, and Krishna names it — but only after granting that both arrive. That concession matters. Renunciation is not lesser in where it ends; it is lesser in how reliably it gets there, because most hands that drop their work do not drop their wanting. Sitting still can look like freedom and be only hiding. Acting in yoga keeps you in the traffic of duty, where the grasping shows itself and can be set down in the open. You do not get free by stepping out of the world. You get free working inside it, no longer needing what the work brings.