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Bhagavad Gita 2.50
The traditional text
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्॥
Roman reading aid
buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte |
tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam ||
Meaning in everyday language
A person joined to discerning wisdom leaves behind here both merit and demerit. Therefore apply yourself to yoga: yoga is skill in the doing of action.
Understand the teaching
The famous final phrase follows a teaching about buddhi, the understanding with which one acts. In this passage, skill includes the ability to act without becoming bound by the desire to possess the fruits. Merit and demerit belong to the discussion of karma and liberation. The verse is not simply a slogan about being efficient at any chosen task.
Technical competence and ethical reflection can develop together. A group project done quickly may still need a check for accuracy, fair credit and its effect on others. The Gita’s wider argument asks what quality of understanding directs the work. Bringing that question into ordinary work makes the final phrase richer than a celebration of speed or cleverness.
Words and phrases
- बुद्धियुक्तः (buddhi-yuktaḥ)
- joined to discerning understanding
- सुकृतदुष्कृते (sukṛta-duṣkṛte)
- merit and demerit
- योगाय युज्यस्व (yogāya yujyasva)
- apply yourself to yoga
- कर्मसु कौशलम् (karmasu kauśalam)
- skill in actions
Pause and think
A shortcut finishes an assignment quickly but hides another person’s work. Is that the skill praised here?
See an explained answer
That shortcut lacks the discerning, responsible understanding described in this passage. I can seek a method that is competent, honest and less driven by the wish to claim all the credit.