Bhagavad Gita · 3.2 · Path of Selfless Service·2 of 43
व्यामिश्रेणेव वाक्येन बुद्धिं मोहयसीव मे।तदेकं वद निश्िचत्य येन श्रेयोऽहमाप्नुयाम् ॥
vyāmiśhreṇeva vākyena buddhiṁ mohayasīva me
tad ekaṁ vada niśhchitya yena śhreyo ’ham āpnuyām
Sanskrit recitation
Why act at all · 3.1–3.9 · Teaching
Translation
With this seemingly perplexing speech, you seem to be confusing my understanding; therefore, tell me one certain way by which I may attain bliss.
Meaning
Arjuna says to Lord Krishna, Tecah me one of the two, knowledge or action, by which I may attain to the highest good or bliss or Moksha. (Cf.V.I).
After Swami Sivananda
Why act at all· 3.1–3.9→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 3.1Arjuna said: If Thou thinkest that knowledge is superior to action, O Krishna, why then, O Kesava, doest Thou ask me to engage in this terrible action?
3.2With this seemingly perplexing speech, you seem to be confusing my understanding; therefore, tell me one certain way by which I may attain bliss.
- 3.3The Blessed Lord said, "In this world, there is a twofold path, as I said before, O sinless one: the path of knowledge of the Sankhyas and the path of action of the Yogins."
- 3.4Man does not reach actionlessness by not performing actions; nor does he attain perfection by mere renunciation.
- 3.5Verily, no one can remain for even a moment without performing action; for everyone is made to act helplessly, indeed, by the qualities born of Nature.
- 3.6He who, restraining the organs of action, sits thinking of the sense-objects in his mind, he of deluded understanding is called a hypocrite.
- 3.7But whoever, controlling the senses by the mind, O Arjuna, engages himself in Karma Yoga with the organs of action, without attachment, he excels.
- 3.8Perform your bounden duty, for action is superior to inaction, and even the maintenance of the body would not be possible for you through inaction.
- 3.9The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform actions for that sake alone, free from attachment.
Word-by-word→
- me
- my
- iva
- as it were
- tat
- therefore
- aham
- I
- ekam
- one
- vada
- please tell
- yena
- by which
- buddhim
- intellect
- mohayasi
- I am getting bewildered
- vākyena
- words
- āpnuyām
- may attain
- śhreyaḥ
- the highest good
- niśhchitya
- decisively
- vyāmiśhreṇa iva
- by your apparently ambiguous
Related verses
- 2.41Here, O joy of the Kurus, there is only one single-pointed determination; many-branched…
- 3.3The Blessed Lord said, "In this world, there is a twofold path, as I said before, O…
- 3.12The gods, nourished by the sacrifice, will give you the desired objects. So, he who enjoys…
- 3.13The righteous who eat the remnants of the sacrifice are freed from all sins; but those…