Chapter V · Śloka 1
Arjuna uvāca
अर्जुन उवाच |
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि |
यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ||
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि |
यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ||
arjuna uvāca |
sannyāsaṃ karmaṇāṃ kṛṣṇa punar yogaṃ ca śaṃsasi |
yac chreya etayor ekaṃ tan me brūhi suniścitam ||
sannyāsaṃ karmaṇāṃ kṛṣṇa punar yogaṃ ca śaṃsasi |
yac chreya etayor ekaṃ tan me brūhi suniścitam ||
Arjuna said: O Krishna, you praise renunciation of actions, and then again you praise yoga. Tell me conclusively which of the two is better.
Arjuna has been listening carefully and notices what sounds like a contradiction: first Krishna praises action, then renunciation. His question is practical — not philosophical hair-splitting but a sincere desire for clarity on how to live.