Chapter 6, Verse 2
Chapter 6 · karma-yoga
Shloka
यं संन्यासमिति प्राहुर्योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव | न ह्यसंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन ||६-२||
yaṃ saṃnyāsamiti prāhuryogaṃ taṃ viddhi pāṇḍava . na hyasaṃnyastasaṅkalpo yogī bhavati kaścana ||6-2||
English Meaning
English Meaning
Do thou, O Arjuna, know Yoga to be that which they call renunciation; no one verily becomes a Yogi who has not renounced thoughts.
Hindi Meaning
हे पाण्डव ! जिसको (शास्त्रवित्) संन्यास कहते हैं, उसी को तुम योग समझो; क्योंकि संकल्पों को न त्यागने वाला कोई भी पुरुष योगी नहीं होता।।
Russian Meaning
Знаешь ли ты, о Арджуна, что Йога — это то, что они называют отречением; никто воистину не становится йогом, кто не отрекся от мыслей.
Spanish Meaning
¿Sabes tú, oh Arjuna, que el Yoga es eso que ellos llaman renunciación? En verdad, nadie se convierte en Yogui si no ha renunciado a los pensamientos.
Commentary
Sankalpa is the working of the imagining faculty of the mind that makes plans for the future and guesses the results of plans so formed. No one can become a Karma Yogi who plans and schemes and expects fruits for his actions. No devotee of action who has not renounced the thought of the fruits of his actions can become a Yogi of steady mind. The thought of the fruits will certainly make the mind unsteady.Lord Krishna eulogises Karma Yoga here because it is the means or an external aid (Bahiranga Sadhana) to Dhyana Yoga. Karma Yoga is a steppingstone to Dhyana Yoga. It leads to the Yoga of Meditation in due course. In order to encourage the practice of Karna Yoga it is stated here that Karma Yoga is Sannyasa. (Cf.V.4)