Bhagavad Gita 2.49दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय।बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥

dūreṇa hy-avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya

buddhau śharaṇam anvichchha kṛipaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ

Sanskrit recitation

2.48 2.50

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Act without clinging to the fruit · 2.47–2.53 · Teaching

Translation

Far lower than the Yoga of wisdom is action, O Arjuna. Seek thou refuge in wisdom; wretched are those whose motive is the fruit.

Hindi translation

बुद्धियोग-(समता) की अपेक्षा सकामकर्म दूरसे (अत्यन्त) ही निकृष्ट है। अतः हे धनञ्जय ! तू बुद्धि (समता) का आश्रय ले; क्योंकि फलके हेतु बननेवाले अत्यन्त दीन हैं।

Meaning

Action done with evenness of mind is Yoga of wisdom. The yogi who is established in the Yoga of widdom is not affected by success or failure. He does not seek fruits of his actions. He has poised reason. His reason is rooted in the Self. Action performed by one who expects fruits for his actions, is far inferior to the Yoga of wisdom wherein the seeker does not seek fruits because the former leads to bondage and is the cause of birth and death. (Cf.VIII.18).

After Swami Sivananda

Act without clinging to the fruit· 2.47–2.53→

Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.

Word-by-word→

hi: certainly
karma: reward-seeking actions
avaram: inferior
buddhau: divine knowledge and insight
dūreṇa: (discrad) from far away
anvichchha: seek
dhanañjaya: Arjun
śharaṇam: refuge
buddhi-yogāt: with the intellect established in Divine knowledge
kṛipaṇāḥ: miserly
phala-hetavaḥ: those seeking fruits of their work

Bhagavad Gita 2.49दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय।बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥

Translation

Hindi translation

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