Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 39

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु ।
बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ॥

Transliteration

eṣā te.abhihitā sāṅkhye buddhiryoge tvimāṃ śṛṇu .
buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karmabandhaṃ prahāsyasi ॥

Meaning

O Partha, this wisdom has been taught to you from the standpoint of Sankhya. Now hear it in terms of Yoga; endowed with this understanding, you will cast off the bondage of action.

Word meanings

एषा – this
ते – to you
अभिहिता – has been declared
साङ्ख्ये – in terms of Sankhya, the knowledge of the Self
बुद्धिः – understanding, wisdom
योगे – in terms of Yoga (karma yoga)
तु – but, now
इमाम् – this
शृणु – hear
बुद्ध्या – with the understanding
युक्तः – endowed, united
यया – by which
पार्थ – O Partha
कर्मबन्धम् – the bondage of action
प्रहास्यसि – you will cast off completely

Anvaya (word order)

पार्थ, एषा बुद्धिः ते साङ्ख्ये अभिहिता; योगे तु इमां शृणु, यया बुद्ध्या युक्तः (त्वं) कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ।

Explanation

This verse is a major junction in the second chapter and perhaps in the whole Gita. Krishna Himself announces that so far (2.11–2.30) He has spoken in terms of ‘Sankhya’, and now He will speak in terms of ‘Yoga’. Here Sankhya does not mean the philosophical system of Kapila but the knowledge of ultimate truth gained by discerning the Self from the not-Self. And Yoga means the art of acting in such a way that action does not bind — karma yoga.

Both are ‘buddhi’ — a vision, an understanding. Sankhya-buddhi tells us ‘who I am’; yoga-buddhi tells us ‘how I should act’. The first is the path of knowledge; the second is the means of reaching that knowledge and living it.

For Shankara, sankhya-buddhi is for the most qualified seekers who can abide directly in Self-knowledge, while yoga-buddhi is for those whose minds are still being purified; karma yoga purifies the mind, and then knowledge dawns. For Ramanuja, Sankhya means true knowledge of the Self, and Yoga is desireless action inspired by that knowledge; together they lead to Self-realisation.

‘Karma-bandham prahasyasi’ — you will cast off the bondage of action. This is a great promise. Ordinarily every action yields a fruit, and that fruit gives rise to new actions and new births; this is bondage. Krishna says there is an understanding by which one can act and yet remain free of this bondage. It is freedom gained not by giving up action but by changing the way we act.

This is the Gita's greatest gift: freedom while living in the world and fulfilling one's duties. The path is open to all — householder, merchant, student, soldier.

Context

In 2.11–2.38 Krishna taught Self-knowledge (Sankhya) and svadharma. Here He announces the teaching of yoga-buddhi (karma yoga). In the next verse (2.40) He says that even a little effort on this path is never wasted.

Life lesson

Freedom does not require leaving the world; it requires a change in the way we act. When you act with right understanding, the same action that binds becomes a means of liberation.

Key terms

Sankhya: here, knowledge gained by discerning the Self from the not-Self
Yoga: here, karma yoga — the art of desireless action with equanimity
Buddhi: understanding, decisive insight
Karma-bandha: the bondage created by action and its fruits