🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 2.49

Chapter 2 · सांख्ययोग · Sāṅkhya-Yoga · "The Yoga of Knowledge" · Verse 49 of 72

दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय।

बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः।।2.49।।
Bhagavad-Gītā 2.49 · Devanāgarī root text

🪷 English Translations

5 received English translations are available for this śloka. Each voice is labelled; no single rendering is presented as the Sanskrit itself.

Shri Purohit Swami · Poetic English · 1935 edition attribution in the received data
2.49 Physical action is far inferior to an intellect concentrated on the Divine. Have recourse then to Pure Intelligence. It is only the petty-minded who work for reward.
Swami Sivananda · Direct prose · Divine Life Society
2.49 Far lower than the Yoga of wisdon is action, O Arjuna. Seek thou refuge in wisdom; wretched are they whose motive is the fruit.
Swami Gambīrānanda · Word-key glosses · Advaita Ashrama · Śaṅkara-school
2.49 Then again, O Dhananjaya, as against action performed with eanimity of mind for adoring God, karma, action undertaken by one longing for the results; is, hi, indeed; durena, ite, by far; avaram, inferior, very remote; buddhi-yogat, from the yoga of wisdom, from actions undertaken with eanimity of mind, because it (the former) is the cause of birth, death, etc. Since this is so, therefore, saranam anviccha, take resort to, seek shelter; buddhau, under wisdom, which relates to Yoga, or to the Conviction about Reality that arises from its (the former's) maturity and which is the cause of (achieving) fearlessness. The meaning is that you should resort to the knowledge of the supreme Goal, because those who under take inferior actions, phala-hetavah, who thirst for rewards, who are impelled by results; are krpanah, pitiable, according to the Sruti, 'He, O Gargi, who departs from this world without knowing this Immutable, is pitiable' (Br. 3.8.10). [See note under 2.7.-Tr.]
Swami Ādidevānanda · Śrī-Vaiṣṇava perspective · Rāmānuja school
2.49 All other kinds of action are far inferior to those done with evenness of mind, which consists in the renunciation of the main result and with eanimity towards success or failure in respect of the secondary results. Between the two kinds of actions, the one with eanimity and the other with attachment, the former associated with eanimity removes all the sufferings of Samsara and leads to release which is the highest object of human existence. The latter type of actions, which is pursued with an eye on results, leads one to Samsara whose character is endless suffering. Thus when an act is being done, take refuge in Buddhi (evenness of mind). Refuge means abode. Live in that Buddhi, is the meaning. 'Miserable are they who act with a motive for results': it means, 'Those who act with attachment to the results, etc., are miserable, as they will continue in Samsara.'
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Academic precision · modern scholarly
2.49. O Dhananjaya ! The inferior action stays away at a distance due to Yoga of (one's contact with) determining faculty; in the determining faculty you must seek refuge; wretched are those who constitute the causes for the fruits of action.

🪷 Hindi Translation · हिन्दी अनुवाद

Received Hindi rendering attributed in the source data to Swami Rāmsukhdās ji.

🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Hindi rendering · source-data attribution
।।2.49।। 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।

🪷 English Commentaries · The Ācārya Voices

5 received English commentary layers are available for this śloka. Open only the voice you wish to study.

Swami Sivananda · Verse-by-verse word-keys with Sanskrit anchors
2.49 दूरेण by far? हि indeed? अवरम् inferior? कर्म action or work? बुद्धियोगात् than the Yoga of wisdom? धनञ्जय O Dhananjaya? बुद्धौ in wisdom? शरणम् refuge? अन्विच्छ seek? कृपणाः wretched? फलहेतवः seekers after fruits.Commentary 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).
Swami Gambīrānanda · Advaita-school commentary (Śaṅkara tradition)
2.49 Then again, O Dhananjaya, as against action performed with eanimity of mind for adoring God, karma, action undertaken by one longing for the results; is, hi, indeed; durena, ite, by far; avaram, inferior, very remote; buddhi-yogat, from the yoga of wisdom, from actions undertaken with eanimity of mind, because it (the former) is the cause of birth, death, etc. Since this is so, therefore, saranam anviccha, take resort to, seek shelter; buddhau, under wisdom, which relates to Yoga, or to the Conviction about Reality that arises from its (the former's) maturity and which is the cause of (achieving) fearlessness. The meaning is that you should resort to the knowledge of the supreme Goal, because those who under take inferior actions, phala-hetavah, who thirst for rewards, who are impelled by results; are krpanah, pitiable, according to the Sruti, 'He, O Gargi, who departs from this world without knowing this Immutable, is pitiable' (Br. 3.8.10). [See note under 2.7.-Tr.]
Swami Ādidevānanda · Rāmānuja Śrī-Vaiṣṇava commentary
2.49 All other kinds of action are far inferior to those done with evenness of mind, which consists in the renunciation of the main result and with eanimity towards success or failure in respect of the secondary results. Between the two kinds of actions, the one with eanimity and the other with attachment, the former associated with eanimity removes all the sufferings of Samsara and leads to release which is the highest object of human existence. The latter type of actions, which is pursued with an eye on results, leads one to Samsara whose character is endless suffering. Thus when an act is being done, take refuge in Buddhi (evenness of mind). Refuge means abode. Live in that Buddhi, is the meaning. 'Miserable are they who act with a motive for results': it means, 'Those who act with attachment to the results, etc., are miserable, as they will continue in Samsara.'
Dr. S. Sankaranarayan · Modern academic scholarship
2.49 Durena etc. Due to the contact (one has) with determining faculty [one's] inferior action i.e., the action that bears bad fruits and is empty, remains far away [from him]. Therefore seek i.e., pray for a refuge in the determining faculty of that nature, on account of which that determining faculty is gained.
Swami Chinmayānanda · Chinmaya Mission · modern Vedantic teaching
।।2.49।। कर्मफल की चिन्ताओं से मुक्त शान्त मन से किया हुआ कर्म निश्चित रूप से चिन्तित क्षुब्ध मन से किए गये कर्म से श्रेष्ठतर होता है। इस श्लोक में प्रयुक्त बुद्धियोग शब्द से कुछ व्याख्याकारों को एक और नया योग गीता में उपदेश किया गया ज्ञात होता है। परन्तु मेरे अपने विचार के अनुसार ऐसा अर्थ खींचतान कर किया हुआ प्रतीत होता है। उपनिषदों में अन्तकरण की निश्चयात्मक वृत्ति को बुद्धि तथा संकल्पात्मक वृत्ति को मन की संज्ञा दी गयी है। संदेह और विक्षेप की स्थिति में वृत्तियों को मन कहते हैं एकाग्रता निश्चय एवं शान्ति की स्थिति में अन्तकरण की वृत्ति को बुद्धि कहा जाता है। अत बुद्धियोग का अर्थ हुआ बुद्धि के निश्चित किये अर्थ में (कार्य में) दृढ़ता से स्थिर होना। निश्चय ही दृढ़ता मन का बुद्धि के अनुशासन में रहना तथा अन्तर्बाह्य परिस्थितियों का स्वामी होना बुद्धियोग के लक्षण हैं। जीवन के परम लक्ष्य को आँखों से ओझल किये बिना प्राप्त कर्तव्यों का पालन ही बुद्धियोग है।गीता की सामान्य प्रस्तावना जिसमें व्यक्तित्व का विघटन एवं वासनाक्षय के द्वारा उसके संगठन का विवेचन किया गया है के प्रकाश में बुद्धियोग का अर्थ यह हो सकता है साधक का जीवन में बुद्धि के अनुसार रहने का सतत् प्रयत्न मन को बुद्धि के अनुशासन में लाकर उसके निर्देशानुसार काम करने के प्रयत्न को बुद्धियोग कहते हैं। इस प्रकार पूर्वार्जित वासनाओं के क्षय द्वारा अहंकार का नाश होता है और उसके नाश का अर्थ है बुद्धियोग में स्थिति। अत यहाँ अर्जुन को बुद्धि की शरण में जाने का उपदेश दिया गया है।बुद्धियोग का आश्रय ग्रहण करने में एक प्रबल कारण है। यदि मन की प्रवृत्तियों के अनुसार ही कर्म करते रहे तो चित्त में असंख्य विक्षेप तो उत्पन्न होते ही हैं परन्तु साथ ही नयीनयी वासनाओं का संचय भी होता है जिनका सघन आवरण आत्मस्वरूप पर पड़ता है। भगवान् ऐसे लोगों को कृपण कहते हैं। वास्तव में वे ही दीन हैं । इसके विपरीत बुद्धियोग में स्थित साधक निस्वार्थ भाव से कर्म करता हुआ वासनाओं के आवरण को नष्ट कर निर्मल मन से आत्मस्वरूप का साक्षात् अनुभव करता है।अब समभाव में रहकर कर्तव्य पालन करने वाले को क्या फल मिलता है वह जानो

🪷 Hindi Vyākhyā · हिन्दी व्याख्या

Received Hindi vyākhyā attributed in the source data to Swami Rāmsukhdās ji.

🪷 Swami Rāmsukhdās · Hindi vyākhyā · source-data attribution
2.49।। व्याख्या-- 'दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगात्'-- बुद्धियोग अर्थात् समताकी अपेक्षा सकामभावसे कर्म करना अत्यन्त ही निकृष्ट है। कारण कि कर्म भी उत्पन्न और नष्ट होते हैं तथा उन कर्मोंके फलका भी संयोग और वियोग होता है। परन्तु योग (समता) नित्य है; उसका कभी वियोग नहीं होता। उसमें कोई विकृति नहीं होती। अतः समताकी अपेक्षा सकामकर्म अत्यन्त ही निकृष्ट हैं।

🪷 Place in the Bhagavad-Gītā

← Previous verse · BG 2.48Adhyāya 2Next verse · BG 2.50 →
📚 Cite this verse · Academic citation formats
APA: Vyāsa Maharṣi. (n.d.). Bhagavad-Gītā 2.49. Vidhyāmitra. Retrieved 2026-08-17, from https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/2/49
Chicago: Vyāsa Maharṣi. "Bhagavad-Gītā 2.49." Vidhyāmitra. Accessed 2026-08-17. https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/2/49.
MLA: Vyāsa Maharṣi. "Bhagavad-Gītā 2.49." Vidhyāmitra, 2026, https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/2/49.
Canonical reading URL: https://vidhyamitra.com/bhagavad-gita/2/49. This citation identifies Vidhyamitra's received digital witness; consult a named scholarly or printed edition when edition-specific authority is required.

Continue the Pāṭha

Source and edition boundary

This page is rendered from the pinned 701-address witness documented on the Gītā index. Publication and search-indexing authorization for every bundled translation and commentary layer was confirmed on 4 August 2026; the exact received recension boundary remains disclosed separately.

🪷 ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय 🪷

सर्वम् कृष्णार्पणम् — this verse is one maṇi (jewel) on Krishna's thread (BG 7.7)