Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 39
Bhagavad Gītā 2.39: Now hear about yoga
एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु ।
बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ॥
eṣā te'bhihitā sāṅkhye buddhiryoge tvimāṃ śṛṇu
buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karmabandhaṃ prahāsyasi
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
This understanding has been taught to you in terms of sāṅkhya; now hear it in terms of yoga, endowed with which, O Pārtha, you will cast off the bondage of karma. The verse marks a turning point: from the knowledge of the self (2.11–2.30) to the discipline of action (karma-yoga). In the Gītā “sāṅkhya” means discerning knowledge, not only the later philosophical school.
For children
Krishna says: “I have explained who you really are. Now I will teach you how to act in a way that makes you free.”
This verse is a bridge: Kṛṣṇa moves from explaining the self to teaching how to act.
Word by word
एषा तेऽभिहिता साङ्ख्ये — I have told you this as knowledge
- eṣā: this
- abhihitā: has been told
- sāṅkhya: knowledge, discernment
बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु — now hear the same wisdom as yoga
- buddhi: understanding, wisdom
- yoga: yoga, skilful action
- śṛṇu: listen
बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ — joined with this wisdom, Arjuna
- yukta: joined, endowed
कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि — you will be free of the bonds of action
- karmabandha: the bondage of action
- prahāsyasi: you will cast off
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.