FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 2.48

योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय । सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥ ४८ ॥
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi
[yoga-sthah kuru karmaani]
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañ-jaya
[sangam tyaktvaa dhanan-jaya]
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā
[siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhootvaa]
samatvaṁ yoga ucyate
[samatvam yoga uchyate]
Word-for-word
yoga - sthaḥ — equipoised kuru — perform karmāṇi — your duties saṅgam — attachment tyaktvā — giving up dhanam - jaya — O Arjuna siddhi - asiddhyoḥ — in success and failure samaḥ — equipoised bhūtvā — becoming samatvam — equanimity yogaḥ — yoga ucyate — is called .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi
yoga - sthaḥ
equipoised
kuru
perform
karmāṇi
your duties
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañ-jaya
saṅgam
attachment
tyaktvā
giving up
dhanam - jaya
O Arjuna
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā
siddhi - asiddhyoḥ
in success and failure
samaḥ
equipoised
bhūtvā
becoming
samatvaṁ yoga ucyate
samatvam
equanimity
yogaḥ
yoga
ucyate
is called .
Important Words
  • yoga - sthaḥ — established in yoga
    Compound — *standing in yoga*. Yoga is the prior state; karma is performed *from within it*. The verse refuses the order: first act, then attain yoga. Yoga is the platform of action, not its reward.
  • saṅgam — attachment
    Same word as in verse 47's saṅgaḥ. The chapter's hinge word. To be in yoga is to act with saṅga renounced — saṅgaṁ tyaktvā.
  • tyaktvā — having abandoned
    Gerund of √tyaj — to abandon. The form 'having abandoned' makes the renunciation prior to the action. First drop saṅga; then act.
  • siddhi - asiddhyoḥ — in success and failure
    Locative dual. The arena of equanimity is again named — success and failure. Echoes verse 38's jaya-ajaya. The Gītā keeps returning the listener to the pair that most matters in action.
  • samatvam — evenness
    From sama — equal. *Evenness itself*. The verse offers a definition of yoga: samatvaṁ yoga ucyate. Yoga *is* equanimity. The Sanskrit puts the predicate first — emphatic identification.
Perform your duty equipoised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Kṛṣṇa now defines yoga in its simplest form: samatva, evenness — equality in success and failure. Stand in this equality; do the work; drop the attachment. By this definition the warrior on Kurukṣetra may already be a yogin.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Samatvaṁ yoga ucyate is the Gītā's first formal definition of yoga. (Cf. 6.23 yogo duḥkha-saṁyoga-viyogaḥ — a complementary definition.) Three terms — yoga-sthaḥ, saṅgaṁ tyaktvā, samaḥ bhūtvā — form a tight prescription: anchor in yoga, drop attachment, equalize. The address Dhanañjaya ('winner of wealth') is gently ironic: even one whose name evokes acquisition must now act without acquisition-motive.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे धनञ्जय! योग-स्थः (सन्) सङ्गम् त्यक्त्वा सिद्धि-असिद्ध्योः समः भूत्वा कर्माणि कुरु । समत्वम् योगः उच्यते ।
he dhanañjaya! yoga-sthaḥ (san) saṅgam tyaktvā siddhi-asiddhyoḥ samaḥ bhūtvā karmāṇi kuru | samatvam yogaḥ ucyate |
Established in yoga, perform actions, O Dhanañjaya, giving up attachment, becoming equal in success and failure. This evenness is called yoga.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
योग-स्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गम् त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय । सिद्धि-असिद्ध्योः समः भूत्वा समत्वम् योगः उच्यते ॥
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgam tyaktvā dhanañjaya | siddhi-asiddhyoḥ samaḥ bhūtvā samatvam yogaḥ ucyate ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
योग-स्थः yoga-sthaḥ योग (m.) + स्थ (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound), 'standing in yoga' established in yoga
कुरु kuru √कृ impv. 2sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) perform
कर्माणि karmāṇi कर्मन् (n.) acc.pl. (accusative plural) actions
सङ्गम् saṅgam सङ्ग (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), 'attachment' attachment
त्यक्त्वा tyaktvā √त्यज् abs. (absolutive) having given up
धनञ्जय dhanañjaya धनञ्जय (m.) voc.sg. (vocative singular), 'winner of wealth' O Dhanañjaya
सिद्धि-असिद्ध्योः siddhi-asiddhyoḥ सिद्धि (f.) + असिद्धि (f.) gen./loc.du. (locative dual), dvandva cpd. (compound) in success and failure
समः samaḥ सम (adj.) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., 'equal' equal
भूत्वा bhūtvā √भू abs. (absolutive) having become
समत्वम् samatvam समत्व (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), 'equanimity' evenness, equanimity
योगः yogaḥ योग (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) yoga
उच्यते ucyate √वच् pass. (passive) pres. (present) 3sg. is called
Purport

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 Purāṇa 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.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
48. Being situated in this niṣkāma-karma-yoga, perform your duties, giving up attachment, and being equal to success and failure, O conqueror of wealth! Such equal mindedness is called yoga.
Commentary

With this verse, Kṛṣṇa starts teaching the method of niṣkāma-karma. Acting in this way, seeing victory and defeat as equal, O Arjuna, you should perform your duty of fighting. This performance of niṣkāma-karma-yoga transforms into jñāna-yoga. Jñāna-yoga should be understood from the previous and latter portions of the work.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
48. Being situated in this yoga, perform your duties, giving up attachment, being equal in success and failure, O conqueror of wealth! Such equal mindedness is called yoga.
Commentary

In this verse the Lord explains His previous statement. Giving up desires for results and thoughts of being the doer (saṅgam tyaktvā), being situated in yoga, perform such duties as fighting. By desiring results, you become entangled in māyā. By thinking yourself the doer, you steal the quality of independence which belongs to the Lord. By this identity as doer, you end up in opposition to the Lord’s māyā. Therefore you should give up these two conceptions. The Lord then explains the word yoga stha. Yoga means to be situated with equality both in attaining and not attaining results of action such as victory. Being without attachment or repulsion to the results, perform the action. Yoga in the phrase yoga sthah I take to mean “Being equal to all events (samatvam),” because it takes the form of intense concentration of mind.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

When one is working or performing karma, and he is unattached to the fruits of his work, that is called Karma‑yoga. And when that detachment is perfected, which means detachment for oneself and offering the fruits to Krsna, then it will be called Bhakti‑yoga. Karma is turned into Yoga (Karma‑yoga) when detachment is there, and detachment comes from Jnana or knowledge. Krsna here is advocating the path of renunciation of the fruits of one's work, not the path of renunciation of work.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Specific level of activity for Arjuna as per his Varnasrama status

Krishna recommends Niskama-karma-yoga as non-reactive – Prescribed action without attachment does not bear any reaction (2.47)
Any attachment, positive or negative is a cause of bondage
Krishna tells Arjuna to act in ‘yoga’ and thus defines ‘yoga’ (2.48)
Criticizes fruitive work as abominable and glorifies devotional service by comparison (2.49)
Calls fruitive workers misers (krpana)
Calls buddhi-yoga as Supreme
This verse becomes the basis for Arjuna’s inquiry in Text 3.1
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
2.48 If action is not to be undertaken by one who is under the impulsion of the fruits of action, how then are they to be undertaken? This is being stated: Yogasthah, by becoming established in Yoga; O Dhanajaya, kuru, undertake; karmani, actions, for the sake of God alone; even there, tyaktva, casting off; sangam, attachment, in the form, 'God will be pleased with me.' ['Undertake work for pleasing God, but not for propitiating Him to become favourable towards yourself.'] Undertake actions bhutva, remaining; samah, eipoised; siddhi-asidhyoh, in success and failure even in the success characterized by the attainment of Knowledge that arises from the purification of the mind when one performs actions without hankering for the results, and in the failure that arises from its opposite. [Ignorance, arising from the impurity of the mind.] What is that Yoga with regard to being established in which it is said, 'undertake'? This indeed is that: the samatvam, eanimity in success and failure; ucyate, is called; yogah, Yoga.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
2.48 Abandoning the attachment to kingdom, relatives etc., and established in Yoga, engage in war and such other activities. Perform these with eanimity as regards success and failure resulting from victory etc., which are inherent in them. This eanimity with regard to success and failure is called here by the term Yoga, in the expression 'established in Yoga.' Yoga is eanimity of mind which takes the form of evenness in success and failure. Sri Krsna explains why this is repeatedly said:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
2.48 Yogasthah etc. Being established in Yoga you must perform actions. Evenness [of mind] is the Yoga.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
2.48 Perform action, O Arjuna, being steadfast in Yoga, abandoning attachment and balanced in success and failure. Evenness of mind is called Yoga.
Commentary

2.48 योगस्थः steadfast in Yoga? कुरु perform? कर्माणि actions? सङ्गम् attachment? त्यक्त्वा having abandoned? धनञ्जय O Dhananjaya? सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः in success and failure? समः the smae? भूत्वा having become? समत्वम् evenness of mind? योगः Yoga? उच्यते is called.Commentary Dwelling in union with the Divine perform actions merely for Gods sake with a balanced mind in success and failure. Eilibrium is Yoga. The attainment of the knowledge of the Self through purity of heart obtained by doing actions without expectation of fruits is success (Siddhi). Failure is the nonattainment of knowledge by doing actions with expectation of fruit. (Cf.III.9IV.14IV.20).

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
2.48 By being established in Yoga, O Dhananjaya (Arjuna), undertake actions, casting off attachment and remaining eipoised in success and failure. Eanimity is called Yoga.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
2.48 Perform all thy actions with mind concentrated on the Divine, renouncing attachment and looking upon success and failure with an equal eye. Spirituality implies equanimity.
Related values & verses
Primary values
Samata (Equanimity / Even-mindedness)
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)
Related verses
BG 2.47 BG 6.7 BG 12.13 SB 3.27.6 SB 7.13.36 SB 11.20.21 CC Madhya 8.241 CC Madhya 19.213 CC Antya 8.84 Īśa Upaniṣad 6 BRS 1.4.15
Stories
samata_epic_primary
Concepts
DharmaMaya
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Yoga is evenness of mind — perform action in steady equipoise, abandoning attachment, indifferent to success or failure.
Practical Applications
  • Define yoga not as posture but as samatva — evenness — in the midst of action.
  • Train one specific situation per week where you choose evenness over reactivity.
  • Carry samatvam into family, work, and even spiritual community where it is hardest.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I lose samatva most easily — and what does that reveal?
  • How would my work feel if it were performed in this evenness?
Analogy

A potter at the wheel — already centered, indifferent to which pot comes well and which collapses, his work even and continuous. Yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi: do the action while already standing in yoga, not before reaching it and not after the result. The center is the work; the result is air.

Stories
Bhīṣma in the court of the Kauravas

Bound by the vow to serve the throne, Bhīṣma sat in Duryodhana's court while Draupadī was dishonored. His personal preference was Pāṇḍava; his vow was Kuru. He did his duty as commander-in-chief of the very side whose wickedness he saw, fighting brilliantly without claiming victory or fearing defeat, until the bed of arrows ended his service.

Few lives illustrate yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi more starkly: doing what dharma assigns, when dharma assigns it, without claiming the result. The Gauḍīya tradition holds him as a mahājana for exactly this samatva.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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