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Bhagavad-gītā 2.50

बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते । तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥ ५० ॥
buddhi-yukto jahātīha
[buddhi-yukto jahaateeha]
ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte
[ubhe sukrita-dushkrite]
tasmād yogāya yujyasva
[tasmaad yogaaya yujyasva]
yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
[yogah karmasu kaushalam]
Word-for-word
buddhi - yuktaḥ — one who is engaged in devotional service jahāti — can get rid of iha — in this life ubhe — both sukṛta - duṣkṛte — good and bad results tasmāt — therefore yogāya — for the sake of devotional service yujyasva — be so engaged yogaḥ — Kṛṣṇa consciousness karmasu — in all activities kauśalam — art .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
buddhi-yukto jahātīha
buddhi - yuktaḥ
one who is engaged in devotional service
jahāti
can get rid of
iha
in this life
ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte
ubhe
both
sukṛta - duṣkṛte
good and bad results
tasmād yogāya yujyasva
tasmāt
therefore
yogāya
for the sake of devotional service
yujyasva
be so engaged
yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
yogaḥ
Kṛṣṇa consciousness
karmasu
in all activities
kauśalam
art .
Important Words
  • buddhi - yuktaḥ — yoked with intelligence
    Compound — *one who has yoked himself with buddhi*. The buddhi-yogī. The act of yoking is done; the practitioner is now operating from the yoked state.
  • jahāti — abandons
    Present of √hā. *Casts off*. The verb is present-tense and active: in this very life, the buddhi-yukta is already casting off the reactions.
  • sukṛta - duṣkṛte — good and bad reactions
    Compound dual — *good-deeds-and-bad-deeds*. Both fall away. Not just the bad — the *good* too. The pious karma that would yield heaven is also relinquished, because yoga aims higher.
  • yujyasva — yoke yourself
    The same imperative as in verse 38, redirected — there 'for battle', here 'for yoga'. The verb yujyasva and the goal yogāya share the root — yoga is, literally, the activity of yujyasva.
  • kauśalam — skill
    From kuśala — skillful. *Yoga is kauśala in karma*. The definition is functional: yoga is what allows action to be performed without producing bondage. A second definition to set beside 2.48's samatvaṁ yoga ucyate.
A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of all work.
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)
A second definition of yoga: skill in action. The yogin's secret is detachment of the result from the act — and that one move drops both karmic merit and demerit. Skillful action is action that leaves no karmic trace.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam pairs with 2.48's samatvaṁ yoga ucyate as the two famous formulations of yoga in the Gītā. Kauśala here is not external dexterity but the inner art of acting without binding oneself. Note the radical claim: both sukṛta and duṣkṛta — even good karma — fall away, because both bind to rebirth.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
बुद्धि-युक्तः इह उभे सु-कृत-दुष्कृते जहाति । तस्मात् योगाय युज्यस्व । योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् (अस्ति) ।
buddhi-yuktaḥ iha ubhe su-kṛta-duṣkṛte jahāti | tasmāt yogāya yujyasva | yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (asti) |
One who is united with (such) intelligence casts off here (in this very life) both good and bad deeds. Therefore engage in yoga. Yoga is skill in actions.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
बुद्धि-युक्तः जहाति इह उभे सु-कृत-दुष्कृते । तस्मात् योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥
buddhi-yuktaḥ jahāti iha ubhe su-kṛta-duṣkṛte | tasmāt yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
बुद्धि-युक्तः buddhi-yuktaḥ बुद्धि (f.) + युक्त (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m., tatpuruṣa cpd. (compound), 'united with intelligence' united with (wise) intelligence
जहाति jahāti √हा pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice), 'casts off' abandons, casts off
इह iha ind. (indeclinable), 'here' here, in this very life
उभे ubhe उभ (pron. (pronoun)/adj.) acc.du. (accusative dual)n., 'both' both
सु-कृत-दुष्कृते su-kṛta-duṣkṛte सु + कृत (p.p.p. (past passive participle)) + दुष् + कृत acc.du. (accusative dual)n., dvandva cpd. (compound) good and bad deeds
तस्मात् tasmāt तद् (pron. (pronoun)) abl.sg. (ablative singular) therefore
योगाय yogāya योग (m.) dat.sg. (dative singular) for yoga
युज्यस्व yujyasva √युज् impv. 2sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice), 'engage' engage yourself
योगः yogaḥ योग (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) yoga
कर्मसु karmasu कर्मन् (n.) loc.pl. (locative plural), 'in actions' in actions
कौशलम् kauśalam कौशल (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), 'skill' skill
Purport

Since time immemorial each living entity has accumulated the various reactions of his good and bad work. As such, he is continuously ignorant of his real constitutional position. One’s ignorance can be removed by the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā, which teaches one to surrender unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in all respects and become liberated from the chained victimization of action and reaction, birth after birth. Arjuna is therefore advised to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the purifying process of resultant action.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
50. He who is engaged in niṣkāma-karma-yoga gives up both pious and impious reactions. Therefore engage in this yoga. Among all types of action, this performance without attachment is a skill.
Commentary

Therefore be engaged in the yoga as described here (yogāya yujyasva). Among all actions done with or without desire (karmaṣu), action performed with indifference to results (yogaḥ) is a skill (kauśalam). [Note: Skill means here that action is performed but does not accrue reactions.]

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
50. He who is engaged in niṣkāma karma yoga destroys both pious and impious reactions. Therefore engage in this yoga. In all types of action, this performance without attachment is a skill.
Commentary

This verse speaks of the great power of the buddhi yoga (niṣkāma karma yoga) just mentioned. That person who performs his actions with intelligence directed in all activities (iha) towards renunciation of the main results in action and towards maintaining equal nature when either attaining or not attaining any related results (buddhi yuktaḥ) destroys (jahāti) both good and bad reactions (sukṛta duṣkṛte) accumulated from beginningless time in the past, which obstruct knowledge of the ātmā. Therefore, strive for (yujasva) this buddhi yoga which has been described, since this engagement in action (yoga), being joined with such intelligence is a skill (kauśalam), because it transforms actions which normally are a cause of bondage into causes of liberation by contact with intelligence, like mercury which has been purified of its poisonous effects.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

The art of working means working but not getting the fruits of one's work. Detachment through knowledge, but working.

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

Buddhi-yoga is an art of all work and rids one from all good and bad reactions

Focus of Learning

(a) Krishna consciousness is the “purifying process of resultant action”

(b) Arjuna is told that to avoid reaction, he need not renounce work but work in right consciousness

Since time immemorial the living entity has accumulated the various reactions of good and bad work
Thus he is continuously ignorant of his real constitutional position
How to remove ignorance – By instructions of Bhagavad-gita, which teaches one to
Surrender unto Lord Krishna in all respects
Become liberated from the chain of action and reaction, and thus bondage of birth and death

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 2.50 – 2.53

Arjuna does not wish to fight because he desires to avoid sinful reactions and

subsequent misery. But Krishna explains that acting in devotional service (which for Arjuna

means ‘to fight’) will free him from all sin (2.50) and lead him to a place beyond all misery (2.51)

(a) Definition of Miser

They do not know how to engage their assets acquired by good fortune / hard labour
E.g. Human energy should be used for Krishna consciousness; But misers want to enjoy fruitive work

(b) What does “Abominable Activities” refer to

Fruitive acts
All acts which bind to birth and death
All actions except Krishna consciousness because they continuously bind us to the cycle of birth and death

(c) What is the “Right course of action” for living entities – Buddhi-yoga or transcendental loving

service to the Lord

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
2.50 Listen to the result that one possessed of the wisdom of eanimity attains by performing one's own duties: Buddhi-yuktah, possessed of wisdom, possessed of the wisdom of eanimity; since one jahati, rejects; iha, here, in this world; ubhe, both; sukrta-duskrte, virtue and vice (righteousness and unrighteousness), through the purification of the mind and acisition of Knowledge; tasmat, therefore; yujyasva, devote yourself; yogaya, to (Karma-) yoga, the wisdom of eanimity. For Yoga is kausalam, skilfulness; karmasu, in action. Skilfulness means the attitude of the skilful, the wisdom of eanimity with regard to one's success and failure while engaged in actions (karma) called one's own duties (sva-dharma) with the mind dedicated to God. That indeed is skilfulness which, through eanimity, makes actions that by their very nature bind give up their nature! Therefore, be you devoted to the wisdom of eanimity.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
2.50 He, who is established in evenness of mind in the performance of actions, relinishes good and evil Karmas which have accumulated from time immemorial causing bondage endlessly. Therefore acire this aforesaid evenness of mind (Buddhi Yoga). Yoga is skill in action. That is, this evenness of mind when one is engaged in action, is possible through great skill, i.e., ability.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
2.50 Buddhiyuktah etc. Both indicates the mutual exclusion [of the good and bad actions]. Therefore [strive] for Yoga etc. : Working in that manner alone constitutes the supreme proficiency, by [working] in which manner the good action and the bad action perish. This is the idea here.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
2.50 Endowed with wisdom (evenness of mind), one casts off in this life both good and evil deeds; therefore, devote thyself to Yoga; Yoga is skill in action.
Commentary

2.50 बुद्धियुक्तः endowed with wisdom? जहाति casts off? इह in this life? उभे both? सुकृतदुष्कृते good and evil deeds? तस्मात् therefore? योगाय to Yoga? युज्यस्व devote thyself? योगः Yoga? कर्मसु in actions? कौशलम् skill.Commentary Work performed with motive towards fruits only can bind a man. It will bring the fruits and the performer of the action will have to take birth again in this mortal world to enjoy them. If work is performed with evennes of mind (the Yoga of wisdom? i.e.? united to pure Buddhi? intelligence or reason) with the mind resting in the Lord? it will not bind him it will not bring any fruit it is no work at all. Actions which are of a binding nature lose that nature when performed with eanimity of mind? or poised reason. The Yogi of poised reason attributes all actions to the Divine Actor within (Isvara or God).

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
2.50 Possessed of wisdom, one rejects here both virtue and vice. Therefore devote yourself to (Karma-) yoga. Yoga is skilfulness in action.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
2.50 When a man attains to Pure Reason, he renounces in this world the results of good and evil alike. Cling thou to Right Action. Spirituality is the real art of living.
Related values & verses
Primary values
Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 4.18 BG 9.28 BG 18.49 SB 1.5.32 SB 3.32.34 SB 11.20.9 CC Ādi 13.93 CC Madhya 22.108 CC Madhya 24.143 Īśa Upaniṣad 2 BRS 1.2.255
Stories
daksya_epic_college
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Yoga is skill in action — the yogi rises above good and bad reactions even in this very life.
Practical Applications
  • Treat skill in action (yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam) as your professional standard, not just your spiritual one.
  • Bring more care, more presence, and more dedication to ordinary work as a form of yoga.
  • Recognize that craftsmanship offered to Krishna becomes karma-yoga.
Reflection Questions
  • Where could I bring more skill (kauśalam) into my daily action as yoga?
  • What sloppiness in my work betrays a lack of yoga consciousness?
Analogy

A skilled craftsman performs the same act others perform — but for him it produces something different. The same hammer-stroke in different hands yields a horseshoe or a sculpture. Yoga is kauśala — the *skill* by which ordinary action stops producing bondage and starts producing freedom.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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