Shloka

संन्यासस्तु महाबाहो दुःखमाप्तुमयोगतः |
योगयुक्तो मुनिर्ब्रह्म नचिरेणाधिगच्छति ||५-६||

Transliteration

saṃnyāsastu mahābāho duḥkhamāptumayogataḥ .
yogayukto munirbrahma nacireṇādhigacchati ||5-6||

Translations

Dr.S.Sankaranarayan

5.6. O mighty-armed (Arjuna) ! Renunciation is certainly hard to attain excepting through Yoga; the sage who is the master of Yoga attains the Brahman, before long.

Shri Purohit Swami

5.6 Without concentration, O Mighty Man, renunciation is difficult. But the sage who is always meditating on the Divine, before long shall attain the Absolute.

Sri Abhinav Gupta

5.6 Samnyasastu etc. [Here] the word tu is used in the sense of ‘affirmation’ and it is to be construed in a different order. [Hence the meaning is] : For a person without Yoga, it is certainly hard to attain renunciation. Because, as it has been already shown logically, it is difficult to renounce actions. But, it is certainly easy for men of Yoga to attain this. That has been said earlier.

Sri Ramanuja

5.6 Renunciation, i.e., Jnana Yoga, cannot be attained without Yoga, i.e., Karma Yoga. A person following Yoga, i.e., following Karma Yoga, being himself a Muni, i.e., one engaged in the contemplation of self, after practising Karma Yoga reaches with ease the Brahman i.e., attains the self soon, i.e., in a short time. But one following Jnana Yoga by itself, completes Jnana Yoga with great difficulty only. On account of this great difficulty, he attains the self after a long period only.

Sri Shankaracharya

5.6 Tu, but, O mighty-armed one; sannyasah, renunciation, in the real sense; duhkham aptum, is hard to attain; ayogatah, without (Karma-) yoga. Munih, the meditative man-the word muni being derived in the sense of one who meditates on the real nature of God; yoga-yuktah, eipped with yoga, with Vedic Karma-yoga in the form of dedication to God without thought of results (for oneself); adhigacchati, attains; brahma, Brahman; na cirena, without delay, very ickly. Therefore it was said by Me, ‘Karma-yoga excels’. [Karma-yoga leads to enlightenment through the stages of attenuation of attachment, withdrawal of the internal and external organs from their objects, and their inclination towards the indwelling Self. (Also see Commentary on 5.12).] The monasticism under discussion is called Brahman because it leads to knowledge of the supreme Self, as stated in the Upanisad, ‘Nyasa (monasticism) is Brahman. Brahman is verily the supreme’ (Ma. Na. 21.2) Brahman means monasticism in the real sense, consisting in steadfastness to the knowledge of the supreme Self.

Swami Adidevananda

5.6 But renunciation, O mighty-armed, is hard to attain without (following) Yoga. The contemplating sage who follows Yoga reaches the Brahman (the self or Atman) soon.

Swami Gambirananda

5.6 But, O mighty-armed one, renunciation is hard to attain without (Karma-) yoga. The meditative man eipped with yoga attains Brahman without delay.

Swami Sivananda

5.6 But renunciation, O mighty-armed Arjuna, is hard to attain without Yoga; the Yoga-harmonised sage ickly goes to Brahman.

Commentaries

Swami Sivananda

5.6 संन्यासः renunciation? तु but? महाबाहो O mightyarmed? दुःखम् hard? आप्तुम् to attain? अयोगतः without Yoga? योगयुक्तः Yogaharmonised? मुनिः Muni? ब्रह्म to Brahman? नचिरेण ickly? अधिगच्छति goes.Commentary Muni is one who does Manana (meditation or reflection). Yoga is performance of action without selfish motive as an offering unto the Lord.Brahman here signifies renunciation or Sannyasa because renunciation consists in the knowledge of the Self. A Muni? the sage of meditation? the Yogaharmonised? i.e.? purified by the performance of action? ickly attains Brahman? the true renunciation which is devotion to the knowledge of the Self. Therefore Karma Yoga is better. It is easy for a beginner. It prepares him for the higher Yoga by purifying his mind.