Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 48
Bhagavad Gītā 2.48: Calm in winning and losing
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥
yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanañjaya
siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
Established in yoga, perform actions, abandoning attachment, O Dhanañjaya, being even in success and failure; evenness of mind is called yoga. It follows directly on 2.47.
For children
Krishna says: “Do your work with a calm heart. Whether you win or lose, stay peaceful. Being calm like this is called yoga.”
Kṛṣṇa continues explaining how to act without being shaken by results, right after 2.47.
Word by word
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि — Steady in yoga, do your work
- yogastha: steady in yoga
- kuru: do
- karman: action, work
सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय — letting go of clinging, Arjuna
- saṅga: attachment, clinging
- tyaktvā: having let go
- dhanañjaya: winner of wealth (Arjuna)
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा — staying the same in success and failure
- siddhi: success
- asiddhi: failure
- sama: even, the same
समत्वं योग उच्यते — this evenness is called yoga
- samatva: evenness of mind
- ucyate: is called
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.