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Bhagavad Gita 2.48
The traditional text
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥
Roman reading aid
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanañjaya |
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate ||
Meaning in everyday language
Act while grounded in yoga, Dhananjaya, releasing attachment and remaining balanced in success and failure. This evenness is called yoga.
Understand the teaching
The preceding verse, 2.47, joins responsibility for action with freedom from possessiveness about its fruit. This verse gives that discipline a name: samatva, evenness. Yoga here concerns the orientation of a person who acts. It includes the way praise, defeat, gain and disappointment are received, rather than referring only to a physical posture.
Equanimity can support honest review. After a test, you can study the mistakes without treating the mark as a complete description of yourself. Success also deserves examination: which habits helped, and whom should you thank? In both cases the learner stays available for the next responsible action. This is an everyday application of the verse’s discipline.
Words and phrases
- योगस्थः (yoga-sthaḥ)
- established in yoga
- कुरु कर्माणि (kuru karmāṇi)
- perform actions
- सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा (saṅgaṃ tyaktvā)
- having released attachment
- सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः (siddhy-asiddhyoḥ)
- in success and failure
- समत्वम् (samatvam)
- evenness, equanimity
Pause and think
What can stay the same after a good result and a disappointing result?
See an explained answer
My commitment to honest review and careful effort can stay steady. The next plan may change when I learn what worked.