Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 41
Bhagavad Gītā 2.41: One clear aim
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन ।
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् ॥
vyavasāyātmikā buddhirekeha kurunandana
bahuśākhā hyanantāśca buddhayo'vyavasāyinām
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
The resolute understanding here is single, O joy of the Kurus; the understandings of the irresolute are many-branched and endless. Resolve (vyavasāya) in karma-yoga is directed to one aim, the freedom of the self, unlike the scattered goals described in the next verses.
For children
Krishna says: “When you know what you want to do, your mind is like one strong arrow. When you can’t decide, your mind is like a tree with a hundred wiggly branches.”
Kṛṣṇa begins to describe the steady mind of karma-yoga by contrasting it with a scattered one.
Word by word
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिर् — A mind that is firmly decided
- vyavasāyātmikā: resolute, firmly decided
- buddhi: mind, understanding
एकेह कुरुनन्दन — has one aim here, Arjuna
- ekā: one, single
- kurunandana: joy of the Kurus (Arjuna)
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च — but many-branched and endless
- bahuśākha: with many branches
- ananta: endless
बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् — are the thoughts of the undecided
- buddhayaḥ: thoughts, minds
- avyavasāyin: irresolute, undecided
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.