Shloka

अर्जुन उवाच |
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि |
यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ||५-१||

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca .
saṃnyāsaṃ karmaṇāṃ kṛṣṇa punaryogaṃ ca śaṃsasi .
yacchreya etayorekaṃ tanme brūhi suniścitam ||5-1||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

5.1. Arjuna said O krsna, you commend renunciation of action and again the Yoga of action; which one of these two is superior [to the other] ? Please tell me that for certain.

Shri Purohit Swami

5.1 “Arjuna said: My Lord! At one moment Thou praisest renunciation of action; at another, right action. Tell me truly, I pray, which of these is the more conducive to my highest welfare?

Sri Abhinav Gupta

5.1 Samnyasam etc. Is renunciation superior or Yoga ? this is the estion of the doubting person (Arjuna).

Sri Ramanuja

5.1 Arjuna said ‘You praise the renunciation of actions, i.e., Jnana Yoga at one time, and next Karma Yoga’. This is what is objected to: In the second chapter, you have said that Karma Yoga alone should be practised first by an aspirant for release; and that the vision of the self should be achieved by means of Jnana Yoga by one whose mind has its blemishes washed away by Karma Yoga. Again, in the third and fourth chapters, you have praised Karma Yoga or devotion to Karma as better than Jnana Yoga even for one who has attained the stage of Jnana Yoga, and that, as a means of attaining the self, it (Karma Yoga) is independent of Jnana Yoga. Therefore, of these two, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga - tell me precisely which by itself is superior, i.e., most excellent, being more easy to practise, and icker to confer the vision of the self.

Sri Shankaracharya

5.1 (O Krsna,) samsasi, You praise, i.e. speak of; sannyasam, renunciation; karmanam, of actions, of performance of various kinds of rites enjoined by the scriptures; punah ca, and again; You praise yogam, yoga, the obligatory performance of those very rites! Therefore I have a doubt as to which is better-Is the performance of actions better, or their rejection? And that which is better should be undertaken. And hence, bruhi, tell; mam, me; suniscitam, for certain, as the one intended by You; tat ekam, that one-one of the two, since performance of the two together by the same person is impossible; yat, which; is sreyah, better, more commendable; etayoh, between these two, between the renunciation of actions and the performance of actions [Ast. reads karma-yoga-anusthana (performance of Karma-yoga) in place of karma-anusthana (performance of actions).-Tr.], by undertaking which you think I shall acire what is beneficial. While stating His own opinion in order to arrive at a conclusion-

Swami Adidevananda

5.1 Arjuna said You praise, O Krsna, the renunciation of actions and then praise Karma Yoga also. Tell me with certainly which of these is the superior one leading to the ultimate good.

Swami Gambirananda

5.1 Arjuna said O Krsna, You praise renunciation of actions, and again, (Karma-) yoga. Tell me for certain that one which is better between these two.

Swami Sivananda

5.1 Arjuna said Renunciation of actions, O Krishna, Thou praisest, and again Yoga. Tell me conclusively that which is the better of the two.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

5.1 संन्यासम् renunciation? कर्मणाम् of actions? कृष्ण O Krishna? पुनः again? योगम् Yoga? च and? शंससि (Thou) praisest? यत् which? श्रेयः better? एतयोः of these two? एकम् one? तत् that? मे to me? ब्रूहि tell? सुनिश्चितम् conclusively.Commentary Thou teachest renunciation of actions and also their performance. This has confused me. Tell decisively now which is better. It is not possible for a man to resort to both of them at the same time. Yoga here means Karma Yoga. (Cf.III.2)