Sanskrit
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि । यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ॥
saṃnyāsaṃ karmaṇāṃ kṛṣṇa punar yogaṃ ca śaṃsasi yac chreya etayor ekaṃ tan me brūhi suniścitam
Translation
Renunciation of actions Thou praisest, O Krishna, and then also yoga. Of the two which one is the better? That tell me conclusively.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Arjuna opens the chapter by naming an apparent inconsistency: across the two preceding chapters Krishna has praised both giving up action and performing action in yoga, and Arjuna wants one unambiguous answer rather than two paths held in tension. The demand for a conclusive reply is pointed — he is asking Krishna to resolve the tension, not restate it. Krishna’s answer across the rest of the chapter will in fact do both: name a preference (verse 2) and then dissolve the apparent conflict by showing the two are really one for anyone who understands either correctly (verses 4-5).
Concepts