Bhagavad-gītā 2.48

Explain simply

Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa

योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥४८॥

yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā
samatvaṁ yoga ucyate

Word for word (synonyms)

yoga-sthaḥ
steadfast in *yoga*
kuru
perform
karmāṇi
your duty
saṅgam
attachment
tyaktvā
having abandoned
dhanañjaya
O Dhanañjaya
siddhi-asiddhyoḥ
in success and failure
samaḥ
the same
bhūtvā
having become
samatvam
evenness of mind
yogaḥ
*yoga*
ucyate
is called

Translation

Be steadfast in yoga, O Arjuna. Perform your duty and abandon all attachment to success or failure. Such evenness of mind is called yoga.

Defined in the Gītā

Yoga

What is yoga?

A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad actions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, O Arjuna, which is the art of all work.

Bhagavad-gītā 2.50

This verse is one of the Gītā’s own answers.

See the definition

Purport

Other scriptures cited in this purport: Viṣṇu Purāṇa

Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that he should act in yoga. And what is that yoga? Yoga means to concentrate the mind upon the Supreme by controlling the ever-disturbing senses. And who is the Supreme? The Supreme is the Lord. And because He Himself is telling Arjuna to fight, Arjuna has nothing to do with the results of the fight. Gain or victory are Kṛṣṇa's concern; Arjuna is simply advised to act according to the dictation of Kṛṣṇa. The following of Kṛṣṇa's dictation is real yoga, and this is practiced in the process called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness only can one give up the sense of proprietorship. One has to become the servant of Kṛṣṇa, or the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is the right way to discharge duty in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which alone can help one to act in yoga.

Arjuna is a kṣatriya, and as such he is participating in the varṇāśrama-dharma institution. It is said in the Viṣṇu Puraṇa that in the varṇāśrama-dharma, the whole aim is to satisfy Viṣṇu. No one should satisfy himself, as is the rule in the material world, but one should satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So, unless one satisfies Kṛṣṇa, one cannot correctly observe the principles of varṇāśrama-dharma. Indirectly, Arjuna was advised to act as Kṛṣṇa told him.

What this verse teaches

How to practice Niṣkāma-karma-yoga

In thematic compilations 1

Equanimity and Satisfaction

  • Duty needs to be performed with equanimity abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga. (2.48 samatvaṁ yoga ucyate)
Śrīla Prabhupāda lectures 2
Articles on this verse 1

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.