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Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 Verse 2

भगवद् गीता अध्याय 6 श्लोक 2

यं संन्यासमिति प्राहुर्योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव।
न ह्यसंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन।।6.2।।

English Translation - Swami Gambirananda

6.2 That which they call monasticism, know that to be Yoa, O Pandava, For, nobody who has not given up expectations can be a yogi.

English Translation - Swami Sivananda

6.2 Do thou, O Arjuna, know Yoga to be that which they call renunciation; no one verily becomes a Yogi who has not renounced thoughts.

English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan

6.2. What [the learned] call renunciation, O son of Pandu, know that to be [the same as] the Yoga. For without renouncing intention [for fruit], one does not become a man of Yoga.

English Commentary - Swami Sivananda

6.2 यम् which? संन्यासम् renunciation? इति thus? प्राहुः (they) call? योगम् Yoga? तम् that? विद्धि know? पाण्डव O Pandava? न not? हि verily? असंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पः one who has not renounced thoughts? योगी Yogi? भवति becomes? कश्चन anyone.Commentary Sankalpa is the working of the imagining faculty of the mind that makes plans for the future and guesses the results of plans so formed. No one can become a Karma Yogi who plans and schemes and expects fruits for his actions. No devotee of action who has not renounced the thought of the fruits of his actions can become a Yogi of steady mind. The thought of the fruits will certainly make the mind unsteady.Lord Krishna eulogises Karma Yoga here because it is the means or an external aid (Bahiranga Sadhana) to Dhyana Yoga. Karma Yoga is a steppingstone to Dhyana Yoga. It leads to the Yoga of Meditation in due course. In order to encourage the practice of Karna Yoga it is stated here that Karma Yoga is Sannyasa. (Cf.V.4)

English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's

6.2 Yam, that which is characterized by the giving up of all actions and their results; which prahuh, they, the knowers of the Vedas and the Smrtis, call; sannyasam iti, monasticism, in the real sense; viddhi, known; tam, that monasticism in the real sense; to be yogam, Yoga, consisting in the performance of actions, O Pandava. Accepting what kind of similarity between Karma-yoga, which is characterized by engagement (in actions), and its opposite, renunciation in the real sense, which is characterized by cessation from work, has their eation been stated? When such an apprehension arises, the answer is this; From the point of view of the agent, there does exist a simialrity of Karma-yoga with real renunciation. For he who is a monk in the real sense, from the very fact of his having given up all the means needed for accomplishing actions, gives up the thought of all actions and their results-the source of desire that leads to engagement in work. [Thoughts about an object lead to the desire for it, which in turn leads to actions for getting it. (Also see note under 4.19)] also, even while performing actions, gives up the thought for results. Pointing out this idea, the Lord says: Hi, for; kascit, nobody, no man of action whosoever; asannyasta-sankalpah, who has not given up expactaions-one by whom has not been renounced expectation, anticipation, of results;bhavati, becomes, i.e. can become; yogi, a yogi, a man of concentration, because thought of results is the cause of the disturbance of mind. Therefore, any man of action who gives up the thought of results would become a yogi, a man of concentration with an unperturbed mind, because of his having given up thought of results which is the cause of mental distractions. This is the purport. Thus, because of the similarity of real monasticism with Karma-yoga from the point of veiw of giving up by the agent, Karma-yoga is extolled as monasticism in, That which they call monasticism, know that to be Yoga, O Pandava. Since Karma-yoga, which is independent of results, is the remote help to Dhyana-yoga, therefore it has been praised as monasticism. Thereafter, now the Lord shows how Karma-yoga is helpful to Dhyana-yoga:

English Translation of Commentary - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan

6.1-2 The subject matter that has been thus established in the series of the preceding chapters is summarised by a couple of verses. Anasritah etc. Yam etc. Bounden : Ordained [in the law books] according to ones caste etc. [Thus] man-lf-renunciation and man-of-Yoga are synonyms. That is why [the Lord] says, what [the learned] call renunciation etc. Therefore, without Yoga no renunciation is possible. Similarly Yoga is not possible without renouncing the intention [for fruit]. Conseently, the Yoga and renunciation are ever interlinked. The idea, suggested by not he who remains [simply] without his fires etc. is this : He remains neither without fires, nor without actions and yet he is man of renunciation, Hence this is strange. Of course, following the principle [involved in the statement] Playing dice is the kingship, without throne, and following logic it has been asserted already that renunciation is not possible for a person who remains simply without actions. Yet-

English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary

6.2 Know Karma Yoga only to be that which they call as Sannyasa i.e., as Jnana Yoga or knowledge of the real nature of the self. Sri Krsna substantiates this by the words, For no one whose delusive identification of the body with the self is not abandoned, becomes a true Karma Yogin. One whose delusion is abandoned is one by whom the delusion of identifying the self with Prakrti (body), which is in reality distinct from the self, is not rejected by the contemplation of the real nature of the self. One who is not of this kind is one whose delusion is not abandoned. One who is not of this kind cannot become a Karma Yogin of the type described here. It has already been said: He whose every undertaking is free from desire for fruits and delusive identification of the body with the self ৷৷. (4.19). Sri Krsna now teaches that by Karma Yoga alone one succeeds in Yoga without the risk of fall.

Commentary - Chakravarthi Ji

Sannyasa means to renounce the results of one’s actions. Yoga means to have a mind which is not agitated by the desire to enjoy sense objects. Therefore, it should be understood that both words mean the same thing. He who has not given up the desire to enjoy objects (asannyasta sankalpah) is not called a yogi.

Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

Exactly what is a sannyasa or renunciation in abnegation and what is a yogi or one who is perfecting the science of the individual consciousness to attain the ultimate consciousness? To answer this Lord Krishna establishes that karma yoga or the performance of prescribed Vedic activities when matured into egoless actions is the same as renunciation. The Narayana Purana and other Vedic scriptures have extolled the virtues of sannyasa with statements like: Sannyasa alone excels everything and Sannyasa is to be yoga itself. But the question may be raised that if sannyasa is merely the renunciation of the rewards of action which is found also in the mature stages of karma yoga by not hankering for rewards then why should sannyasa be so glorified? It is because with sannyasa one renounces the desire for rewards for action as well as the action itself, whereas in karma yoga one renounces only the desire for reward of the action. As no one can be a renunciate or yogi without first relinquishing the desire to enjoy the rewards of action there is a common factor with both and so either can be considered a renunciate or a yogi by the cessation of craving for results and rewards. According to Pantajali all mental fluctuations become dormant as there is no reason to strive for obtaining anything.

Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

Renunciation is also included within the developed stages of karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities for as Lord Krishna states if desires and cravings are not abandoned then how is equanumity of actions possible? This is the underlying meaning of this verse. Now begins the summation. An advanced special attribute of karma yoga is verily the attribute of renunciation of the rewards of action. This is the purport.

Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

Lord Krishna is declaring that what is known as sannyasa or renunciation and what is known as yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciouness are all leading to atma tattva or realisation of the soul and are only different forms of karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities. No one can perform yoga who is infatuated by delusion. The words asannyasta-sankalpo means without renouncing the desire for rewards Without renunciation is not possible to be free from delusion for the error is there of mistaking the physical body as the atma or soul. One who by the power of self introspection gleans knowledge by meditation of the atma within the etheric heart of their physical body is freed from this delusion. No one who has failed to shake off the binding fetters of hankering for rewards and desire for sense pleasures is under the sway of delusion is never regarded as performing karma yoga nor considered a real renunciate.

Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

Lord Krishna is declaring that what is known as sannyasa or renunciation and what is known as yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciouness are all leading to atma tattva or realisation of the soul and are only different forms of karma yoga or prescribed Vedic activities. No one can perform yoga who is infatuated by delusion. The words asannyasta-sankalpo means without renouncing the desire for rewards Without renunciation is not possible to be free from delusion for the error is there of mistaking the physical body as the atma or soul. One who by the power of self introspection gleans knowledge by meditation of the atma within the etheric heart of their physical body is freed from this delusion. No one who has failed to shake off the binding fetters of hankering for rewards and desire for sense pleasures is under the sway of delusion is never regarded as performing karma yoga nor considered a real renunciate.

Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 6.2

Yam sannyaasamiti praahuryogam tam viddhi paandava; Na hyasannyastasankalpo yogee bhavati kashchana.

Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 6.2

yam—what; sanyāsam—renunciation; iti—thus; prāhuḥ—they say; yogam—yog; tam—that; viddhi—know; pāṇḍava—Arjun, the son of Pandu; na—not; hi—certainly; asannyasta—without giving up; saṅkalpaḥ—desire; yogī—a yogi; bhavati—becomes; kaśhchana—anyone