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Bhagavad-gītā 5.5

यत्सां‍ख्यै: प्राप्यते स्थानं तद्योगैरपि गम्यते । एकं सां‍ख्यं च योगं च य: पश्यति स पश्यति ॥ ५ ॥
yat sāṅkhyaiḥ prāpyate sthānaṁ
[yat saankhyaih praapyate sthaanam]
tad yogair api gamyate
[tad yogair api gamyate]
ekaṁ sāṅkhyaṁ ca yogaṁ ca
[ekam saankhyam cha yogam cha]
yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati
[yah pashyati sa pashyati]
Word-for-word
yat — what sāṅkhyaiḥ — by means of Sāṅkhya philosophy prāpyate — is achieved sthānam — place tat — that yogaiḥ — by devotional service api — also gamyate — one can attain ekam — one sāṅkhyam — analytical study ca — and yogam — action in devotion ca — and yaḥ — one who paśyati — sees saḥ — he paśyati — actually sees .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yat sāṅkhyaiḥ prāpyate sthānaṁ
yat
what
sāṅkhyaiḥ
by means of Sāṅkhya philosophy
prāpyate
is achieved
sthānam
place
tad yogair api gamyate
tat
that
yogaiḥ
by devotional service
api
also
gamyate
one can attain
ekaṁ sāṅkhyaṁ ca yogaṁ ca
ekam
one
sāṅkhyam
analytical study
ca
and
yogam
action in devotion
ca
and
yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati
yaḥ
one who
paśyati
sees
saḥ
he
paśyati
actually sees .
Important Words
  • sāṅkhyaiḥ — by means of Sāṅkhya philosophy
    Instrumental plural. The plural matters: not just one Sāṅkhya school but the various analytical approaches all reach the same stāna. Kṛṣṇa is generous about method while strict about destination.
  • sthānam — place
    From √sthā — a 'standing,' a settled position. The word evokes a destination one stands in, not merely arrives at. Brahman is not a milestone but a state of standing.
  • yogaiḥ — by devotional service
    Instrumental plural, paralleling sāṅkhyaiḥ. The grammar makes the equivalence formally exact. Both are means; both reach the same standing-place.
  • paśyati — sees
    Repeated twice in the verse — yaḥ paśyati saḥ paśyati. The doubling is the punch line: the one who sees, sees. Genuine vision authenticates itself; it does not need external validation.
  • ekam — one
    Sāṅkhya and yoga are taken as ekam — one thing. This is not bland syncretism; it is the deeper unity visible only from the height of realized practice. The bālāḥ of verse 4 cannot see it; the paṇḍitāḥ do.
One who knows that the position reached by means of analytical study can also be attained by devotional service, and who therefore sees analytical study and devotional service to be on the same level, sees things as they are.
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)
The destination of jñāna-yoga and karma-yoga is identical: the same liberated state. Real seeing — saḥ paśyati — recognizes the two methods as one telos. Path-pride is blindness; unifying vision is sight.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
The verse turns 5.4's claim into a perceptual test: 'yaḥ paśyati saḥ paśyati' — only one who sees the unity actually sees. The rhetorical doubling implies that everyone else is merely opining. Sthāna here = the puruṣārtha of liberation. This anticipates Gītā 18.66's final synthesis: all paths yield to surrender.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
यत् स्थानम् साङ्ख्यैः प्राप्यते तत् योगैः अपि गम्यते । यः साङ्ख्यम् च योगम् च एकम् पश्यति सः पश्यति ।
yat sthānam sāṅkhyaiḥ prāpyate tat yogaiḥ api gamyate | yaḥ sāṅkhyam ca yogam ca ekam paśyati saḥ paśyati |
That state which is reached by the followers of Sāṅkhya is also reached by the followers of Yoga. He who sees Sāṅkhya and Yoga as one — he (truly) sees.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
यत् साङ्ख्यैः प्राप्यते स्थानम् तत् योगैः अपि गम्यते । एकम् साङ्ख्यम् च योगम् च यः पश्यति सः पश्यति ॥
yat sāṅkhyaiḥ prāpyate sthānam tat yogaiḥ api gamyate | ekam sāṅkhyam ca yogam ca yaḥ paśyati saḥ paśyati ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
यत् yat rel. pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. which
साङ्ख्यैः sāṅkhyaiḥ साङ्ख्य (m./n. as 'follower') ins.pl. (instrumental plural) by Sāṅkhyas
प्राप्यते prāpyate प्र + √आप् pres. (present) pass. (passive) 3sg. is attained
स्थानम् sthānam स्थान (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) state, position
तत् tat dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)n. that
योगैः yogaiḥ योग (m./n. as 'practitioner') ins.pl. (instrumental plural) by Yogins
अपि api ind. (indeclinable) also
गम्यते gamyate √गम् pres. (present) pass. (passive) 3sg. is reached
एकम् ekam एक (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n. as one
साङ्ख्यम् sāṅkhyam साङ्ख्य (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) Sāṅkhya
योगम् yogam योग (m.) acc.sg. (accusative singular) Yoga
यः yaḥ rel. pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. he who
पश्यति paśyati √दृश् pres. (present) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) sees
सः saḥ dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. he
Purport

The real purpose of philosophical research is to find the ultimate goal of life. Since the ultimate goal of life is self-realization, there is no difference between the conclusions reached by the two processes. By Sāṅkhya philosophical research one comes to the conclusion that a living entity is not a part and parcel of the material world but of the supreme spirit whole. Consequently, the spirit soul has nothing to do with the material world; his actions must be in some relation with the Supreme. When he acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is actually in his constitutional position. In the first process, Sāṅkhya, one has to become detached from matter, and in the devotional yoga process one has to attach himself to the work of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Factually, both processes are the same, although superficially one process appears to involve detachment and the other process appears to involve attachment. Detachment from matter and attachment to Kṛṣṇa are one and the same. One who can see this sees things as they are.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
5. The goal achieved by jñāna is the goal achieved by karma-yoga. He who sees jñāna-yoga and karma-yoga as one actually sees.
Commentary

This verse clarifies the issue. What is achieved by sannyāsa (sāṅkhyaiḥ) is achieved by niṣkāma-karma (yogaiḥ). The plural (singular would be sāṅkhyena and karmaṇā) is used to show respect for the processes. He who sees that these two which appear different are actually one by intelligence actually sees. He is a wise man with vision.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
5. The goal achieved by jñāna is the goal achieved by karma yoga. He who sees jñāna yoga and karma yoga as one actually sees.
Commentary

This verse expands the point. The steady position (sthānam) of seeing ātmā, which is attained by the jñāna yogīs (sāṁkhyaiḥ), is also attained by the karma yogīs (yogaiḥ). He who knows (paśyati) that they are one because of having one result, though the forms are different— one being renunciation of action and the other being engagement in action— is an observant, wise man (sa paśyati). The word sthānam here means “that in which they remain situated: that position in which they do not deviate or fall.” The words sāṁkhya (sāṁkhyaiḥ) and yoga (yogaiḥ) are used in this verse to mean persons having sāṁkhya and yoga skills instead of the normal meaning of sāṁkhya and yoga, according to the rule arśa ādy ac (Pāṇini 5.2.127). [Note: The sūtra is actually arśa ādibhyo’c. Adding the suffix “a” to certain words like yoga indicates possession: “one possessing yoga.”]

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

They are the same, they are not two goals, two paths ‑ there is one path with one goal. The example of how renunciation and work are the same: one is holding a bead‑bag and wants to pick up a book and do some work with it. So he must drop the bead‑bag and then, after he dropped it, he picks up the book and do what he wants. Similarly if one is attached to the material world, he can't pick up the spiritual world until he drops the material world. So one has to practice renunciation or jnana in the 'two‑steps' method and drop those things of the material world, in order to pick up or act in the spiritual platform . But they can also be done at the same time ‑ like dropping and picking up automatically. If the person picks up the book, automatically he drops the bead‑bag. Similarly karma‑yoga with detachment allows one to perform the 'two‑step' process in one ‑ with material detachment and spiritual attachment. In his Purport, Srila Prabhupada says: "The real purpose of philosophical research is to find the ultimate goal of life. Since the ultimate goal of life is self‑realization, there is no difference between the conclusions reached by the two processes. By Sankhya philosophical research one comes to the conclusion that a living entity is not a part and parcel of the material world but of the supreme spirit whole. Consequently, the spirit soul has nothing to do with the material world; his actions must be in some relation with the Supreme. When he acts in Krsna consciousness, he is actually in his constitutional position. In the first process, Sankhya, one has to become detached from matter, and in the devotional yoga process one has to attach himself to the work of Krsna consciousness. Factually, both processes are the same, although superficially one process appears to involve detachment and the other process appears to involve attachment. Detachment from matter and attachment to Krsna are one and the same. One who can see this sees things as they are."

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
5.5 Sthanam, the State called Liberation; yat prapyate, that is reached; sankhyaih, by the Sankhyas, by the monks steadfast in Knowledge; tat prapyate, that is reached; yogaih, by the yogis; api, as well. The yogis are those who, as a means to the attainment of Knowledge, undertake actions by dedicating them to God without seeking any result for themselves. The purport is that, by them also that Stated is reached through the process of aciring monasticism which is a result of the knowledge of the supreme Reality. Therefore, sah, he; pasyati, sees truly; yah, who; pasyati, sees; Sankhya and yoga as ekam, one, because of the identity of their results. This is the meaning. Objection: If this be so, then monasticism itself excels yoga! Why, then, is it said, 'Among the two, Karma-yoga, however, excels renunciation of actions'? Reply: Hear the reason for this: Having is veiw the mere giving up of actions and Karma-yoga, your estion was as to which one was better of the two. My answer was accordingly given that Karma-yoga excels renunciation of actions (resorted to) without Knowledge is Sankhya. This is what was meant by me. And that is indeed yoga in the highest sense. However, that which is the Vedic Karma-yoga is figuratively spoken of as yoga and renunciation since it leads to it (supreme Knowledge). How does it lead to that? The answer is:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
5.5 The fruit in the form of the vision of the self which is attained by the Sankhyans (i.e.) Jnana Yogins, the same is attained alone by those who are Karma Yogins. He alone is wise who sees that Sankhya and the Yoga are one and the same because of their having the same result. Sri Krsna points out, if the aforesaid is the case, wherein the difference between them lies.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
5.4-5 Samkhya-Yogau etc. Yat samkhyaih etc. There is nothing to differentiate as 'This is path of knowledge' [and] 'This is Yoga'. Indeed both these are ever inter-connected. Knowledge is not without Yoga; and Yoga also is not without knowledge. Hence the identity of these two.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
5.5 That place which is reached by the Sankhyas or the Jnanis is reached by the Yogis (Karma Yogis). He sees, who sees knowledge and the performance of action (Karma Yoga) as one.
Commentary

5.5 यत् which? सांख्यैः by the Sankhyas? प्राप्यते is reached? स्थानम् place? तत् that? योगैः by the Yogis (Karma Yogis)? अपि also? गम्यते is reached? एकम् one? सांख्यम् the Sankhya (knowledge)? च and? योगम् Yoga (performance of action)? च and? यः who? पश्यति sees? सः he? पश्यति sees.Commentary Those who have renounced the world and are treading the path of Jnana Yoga or Vedanta are the Sankhyas. Through Sravana (hearing of the Srutis or Vedantic texts)? Manana (reflection on what is heard) and Nididhyasana (constant and profound meditation) they attain to Moksha or Kaivalya directly. Karma Yogis who do selfless service? who perform their duties without expectation of the fruits and who dedicate their actions as offerings unto the Lord also reach the same state as is attained by Sankhyas indirectly through the purification of their heart and renunciation and the conseent dawn of the knowledge of the Self. That man who sees that Sankhya and Yoga are one? as leading to the same result? sees rightly. (Cf.XIII.24?25V.2)

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
5.5 The State [Sthana (State) is used in the derivative sense of 'the place in which one remains established, and from which one does not become relegated'.] that is reached by the Sankhyas, that is reached by the yogis as well. He sees who sees Sankhya and yoga as one.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
5.5 The level which is reached by wisdom is attained through right action as well. He who perceives that the two are one, knows the truth.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 5.4 BG 6.2 BG 13.25 SB 3.25.43 SB 11.20.31 SB 1.2.7 CC Madhya 22.21 CC Madhya 24.99 CC Ādi 1.91 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.1Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.11
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The position attained by sāṅkhya-yogis is also reached by karma-yogis — one who sees both as one sees correctly.
Practical Applications
  • Hold knowledge and action as integrated, not opposed.
  • Pursue both in your daily life, not just one.
  • Avoid the temptation to choose 'philosophy' or 'practice' as exclusive.
Reflection Questions
  • Where do I tilt too far toward knowledge or action?
  • How could I integrate them more this week?
Analogy

Two lamps lit at different ends of a long hall illuminate the same hall. To argue which lamp better illuminates the room is to misunderstand light itself. Sāṅkhya and yoga reach the same brahman; one who sees them as one lamp seen from two ends sees correctly.

Stories
Kapila to Devahūti

Lord Kapila, the avatāra who codified Sāṅkhya, taught his mother Devahūti the analytical path — the enumeration of tattvas, the discrimination of puruṣa from prakṛti, the dissolution of false identification. The third canto of the Bhāgavatam preserves this teaching.

Yet at the climax of the same teaching, Kapila tells His mother that the supreme fruit of all this analysis is bhakti — pure devotional service to the Personality of Godhead. The two are not two. The sāṅkhya He gave terminates in the bhakti His next breath recommends.

Kapila Himself is the living demonstration of yaḥ paśyati saḥ paśyati: the seer who sees Sāṅkhya and yoga as one truly sees.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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