Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 50
Bhagavad Gītā 2.50: Skill in action
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते ।
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥
buddhiyukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛtaduṣkṛte
tasmādyogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
One endowed with wisdom casts off here both good and evil deeds; therefore devote yourself to yoga — yoga is skill in action. Commentators read “skill” as the art of acting without binding attachment.
For children
Krishna says: “Yoga means doing things with care and skill.” Doing your best, carefully and happily, is a kind of yoga!
Part of Kṛṣṇa’s teaching on karma-yoga in chapter 2.
Word by word
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह — One guided by wisdom lets go, here and now,
- buddhiyukta: joined with wisdom
- jahāti: lets go of
- iha: here, in this life
उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते — of both good and bad results
- ubhe: both
- sukṛta: good deeds
- duṣkṛta: bad deeds
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व — so devote yourself to yoga
- tasmāt: therefore
- yujyasva: devote yourself, join
योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् — yoga is skill in action
- karmasu: in actions
- kauśala: skill
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.