Sanskrit
तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः । कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन ॥
tapasvibhyo'dhiko yogī jñānibhyo'pi mato'dhikaḥ karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī tasmād yogī bhavārjuna
Translation
The Yogi is greater than the ascetics; he is thought to be greater than even the wise; the Yogi is greater than the men of action; therefore become thou a Yogi, O Arjuna!
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Krishna ranks the yogi above three other recognized paths — ascetics, the learned, and men of ritual action (karmin) — before delivering the chapter’s direct imperative to Arjuna. This is one of the few places in the Gita where Krishna states an explicit hierarchy among spiritual paths rather than simply describing each on its own terms.
Concepts