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

Verse 2.50

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते। तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्॥

Transliteration (IAST)

buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam

Word-by-Word Meanings

buddhi-yuktaḥ-endowed with wisdom
jahāti-gives up/transcends
sukṛta-duṣkṛte-good and bad deeds
yogāya-for yoga
kauśalam-skill/art

Translation

One endowed with wisdom transcends both good and bad deeds in this very life. Therefore, devote yourself to yoga. Yoga is skill in action.

Commentary

Krishna gives another famous definition: 'yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam' - yoga is skill in action. This means performing action with such wisdom and detachment that it does not create karmic bondage. The skilled yogi transcends both merit and demerit, acting from a place beyond the dualities of good and evil.

Themes

yogakarmamoksha