Skip to main content
← Chapter 2: The Yoga of Knowledge

Verse 2.48

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय। सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥

Transliteration (IAST)

yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga ucyate

Word-by-Word Meanings

yoga-sthaḥ-established in yoga
saṅgam-attachment
tyaktvā-having abandoned
siddhi-asiddhyoḥ-in success and failure
samatvam-equanimity
yoga ucyate-is called yoga

Translation

Perform actions established in yoga, abandoning attachment, O Dhananjaya. Be equal in success and failure, for equanimity is called yoga.

Commentary

Krishna provides his definition of yoga: samatvam (equanimity). Yoga is not withdrawal from action but performing action with inner balance, unshaken by success or failure. This definition transforms yoga from a mere technique into a way of being in the world.

Themes

yogakarmaduty