अर्जुन उवाच
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि।
यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्िचतम्।।5.1।।
।।5.1।।अर्जुन बोले हे कृष्ण आप कर्मोंका स्वरूपसे त्याग करनेकी और फिर कर्मयोगकी प्रशंसा करते हैं। अतः इन दोनों साधनोंमें जो निश्चितरूपसे कल्याणकारक हो उसको मेरे लिये कहिये।
5.1 (O Krsna,) samsasi, You praise, i.e. speak of; sannyasam, renunciation; karmanam, of actions, of performance of various kinds of rites enjoined by the scriptures; punah ca, and again; You praise yogam, yoga, the obligatory performance of those very rites! Therefore I have a doubt as to which is better-Is the performance of actions better, or their rejection? And that which is better should be undertaken. And hence, bruhi, tell; mam, me; suniscitam, for certain, as the one intended by You; tat ekam, that one-one of the two, since performance of the two together by the same person is impossible; yat, which; is sreyah, better, more commendable; etayoh, between these two, between the renunciation of actions and the performance of actions [Ast. reads karma-yoga-anusthana (performance of Karma-yoga) in place of karma-anusthana (performance of actions).-Tr.], by undertaking which you think I shall acire what is beneficial. While stating His own opinion in order to arrive at a conclusion-
5.1 Samnyasam etc. Is renunciation superior or Yoga ? this is the estion of the doubting person (Arjuna).
5.1 Arjuna said You praise the renunciation of actions, i.e., Jnana Yoga at one time, and next Karma Yoga. This is what is objected to: In the second chapter, you have said that Karma Yoga alone should be practised first by an aspirant for release; and that the vision of the self should be achieved by means of Jnana Yoga by one whose mind has its blemishes washed away by Karma Yoga. Again, in the third and fourth chapters, you have praised Karma Yoga or devotion to Karma as better than Jnana Yoga even for one who has attained the stage of Jnana Yoga, and that, as a means of attaining the self, it (Karma Yoga) is independent of Jnana Yoga. Therefore, of these two, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga - tell me precisely which by itself is superior, i.e., most excellent, being more easy to practise, and icker to confer the vision of the self.
Arjuna Uvaacha: Sannyaasam karmanaam krishna punar yogam cha shamsasi; Yacchreya etayorekam tanme broohi sunishchitam.
arjunaḥ uvācha—Arjun said; sanyāsam—renunciation; karmaṇām—of actions; kṛiṣhṇa—Shree Krishna; punaḥ—again; yogam—about karm yog; cha—also; śhansasi—You praise; yat—which; śhreyaḥ—more beneficial; etayoḥ—of the two; ekam—one; tat—that; me—unto me; brūhi—please tell; su-niśhchitam—conclusively