Vishnu Karma & Duty Bhagavad Gita Verse
Bhagavad Gita 2.48: Krishna says that being the same in success and failure is what is called yoga. Sanskrit text and simple meaning.
Sanskrit
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanañjaya |
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate ||
Meaning
Stay steady in yoga, Dhananjaya (Arjuna), and do your work, letting go of attachment. Be the same in success and in failure. This evenness of mind is called yoga.
Source / Textual Reference
Bhagavad Gita 2.48 (Chapter 2, verse 48)
The Bhagavad Gita is part of the Mahabharata. It records a talk between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna on the field of Kurukshetra, just before a great battle. Krishna is the speaker.
Traditional Significance
This verse comes right after Gita 2.47. Having said that we have a right to our work and not to its results, Krishna now explains how to act: stay balanced whether the work succeeds or fails.
The verse gives its own short meaning of the word “yoga” here: evenness of mind (samatvam). “Dhananjaya” is a name of Arjuna.
Traditional Practice
The verse is mostly read and reflected on. It is often studied together with Gita 2.47. There is no fixed way or number of times to recite it.
Related Content
- The verse before it, Gita 2.47
- Krishna Janmashtami
- Satyam Vada Dharmam Chara, the Upanishad on duty and truth