Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 5, Verse 6
संन्यासस्तु महाबाहो दुःखमाप्तुमयोगतः।
योगयुक्तो मुनिर्ब्रह्म नचिरेणाधिगच्छति।।
योगयुक्तो मुनिर्ब्रह्म नचिरेणाधिगच्छति।।
sannyāsas tu mahā-bāho duḥkham āptum ayogataḥ
yoga-yukto munir brahma na cireṇādhigacchati
also searched as "sannyasas tu mahabaho duhkham aptum ayogatah"
Translation
But, O mighty-armed one, renunciation is hard to attain without practicing Yoga. The sage who contemplates and follows Yoga soon reaches the Brahman (the self or Atman).
Vāṇi's rendering
Renunciation without action is a hard road. The sage who acts in yoga reaches the eternal swiftly.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संन्यासःsannyāsaḥ | renunciation, the laying down of action |
| तुtu | but, however |
| महाबाहोmahā-bāho | O mighty-armed one — Krishna's address to Arjuna |
| दुःखम्duḥkham | with difficulty, painfully |
| आप्तुम्āptum | to attain, to reach |
| अयोगतःayogataḥ | without yoga, apart from the discipline of action |
| योगयुक्तःyoga-yuktaḥ | joined to yoga, steady in disciplined action |
| मुनिःmuniḥ | the sage, the one who is silent within |
| ब्रह्मbrahma | the eternal, the boundless ground of all |
| नna | not |
| चिरेणcireṇa | after a long time — with na, meaning swiftly (joined by sandhi to the next word) |
| अधिगच्छतिadhigacchati | reaches, arrives at |
Frequently asked
Why does Krishna call renunciation a hard road in Bhagavad Gita 5.6?
Because renunciation without the discipline of action has nothing to stand on. Action steadies and purifies the mind; drop action too early and what remains is not a free mind but an unprepared one. The road is not forbidden, only hard — and Krishna points Arjuna to the surer one.
Does this verse mean renunciation is wrong?
No. Krishna never says renunciation fails; he says it is difficult to attain without yoga. The two paths meet at the same place, as the previous verse states. This verse is about which door opens more easily for someone still standing in the middle of his life and his duties.
What does it mean that the sage reaches the eternal swiftly?
The Sanskrit says na cireṇa — not after long. Acting in yoga is not a detour that delays arrival. Every act done without grasping at its fruit clears the way further, so the sage who works arrives sooner than the one who merely withdraws.
How does 5.6 apply to someone with an ordinary job and family?
Directly. You are not asked to leave the office or the house to begin. The discipline is available inside the work you already have — doing it fully, releasing the outcome. That is the yoga Krishna means, and it moves you faster than any imagined escape from it.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
Krishna calls him mighty-armed here, and the address is not flattery — it is a reminder of what those arms are for. Arjuna wants renunciation as an exit. Krishna says the exit is a hard road: giving up action, without the discipline action builds, leaves the mind unpurified and the hands merely idle. The sage who acts in yoga is not delayed by his acting; he arrives swiftly. Renouncing the world before you have met it is not freedom — it is avoidance wearing robes. Do the work in front of you today, and let it burn what it burns.