Bhagavad Gita BG 5.1
Chapter 5, Verse 1 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि । यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ॥
sannyasam karmanam krishna punar yogam ca shamsasi yac chreya etayor ekam tan me bruhi sunishcitam
Meaning
O Krishna, you praise renunciation of action and again you praise yoga (selfless action). Tell me decisively which one of these two is the better path.
Understanding
Arjuna's confusion is understandable: Chapter 3 praised karma yoga, Chapter 4 praised jnana. Are these competing paths? This question — which is better, sannyasa (formal renunciation) or karma yoga? — is the opening of Chapter 5. Krishna's answer: both paths lead to liberation, and karma yoga is easier for most seekers.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| संन्यासम् | sannyasam | renunciation, formal abandonment of action |
| कर्मणाम् | karmanam | of actions |
| योगम् | yogam | yoga, selfless action |
| शंससि | shamsasi | you praise, you commend |
| सुनिश्चितम् | sunishcitam | decisively, with certainty |
| अर्जुन उवाच | arjuna uvāca | Arjuna said (speaker attribution) |
| कृष्ण | kṛṣṇa | O Krishna |
| पुनः | punar | again / once more |
| च | ca | and (conjunction) |
| यत् | yat | which / whichever (is better) |
| एतयोः | etayoḥ | of these two (sannyasa and yoga) |
| एकम् | ekam | one (decisively tell me one) |
| तन् मे | tan me | that to me |
| ब्रूहि | brūhi | tell / say (imperative) |