6.2 yam sanyAsam ithi prAhur

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

Chapter 6

<< Chapter 6 verse 1

SlOkam – Original

yam sanyAsam ithi prAhur yOgam tham vidhdhi pANdava |
na hyasanyasthasankalpO yOgI bhavathi kaSchana ||

word-by-word meaning

pANdava – Oh son of pANdu!
yam – what
sanyAsa: ithi – as gyAna (knowledge)
prAhu: – (the wise) say
tham – that
yOgam vidhdhi – know as karma yOga [know that it is part of karma yOga];
asanyastha sankalpa: kaSchana – one who has not given up the attachment (for the concept of considering “prakruthi (matter/body) which is not the AthmA (soul), as the AthmA”)
yOgI – one who is engaged in karma yOga
na bhavathi hi – will not be considered.

Simple Translation

Oh son of pANdu! What the wise say as “gyAna” (knowledge), know that as karma yOga [know that it is part of karma yOga]; one who has not given up the attachment (for the concept of considering “prakruthi (matter/body) which is not the AthmA (soul), as the AthmA”) will not be considered to be engaged in karma yOga.

Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam

‘What they call sannyāsa, Pāṇḍava[2. Patronymic of Arjuna, vide, Geneal: Table, at end, Lec: II.]!, know, it is yoga. For no one who is not exempt from delusion becomes a yogi.’

(Arjuna)! know that what they call sannyāsa (renunciation) or Jñāna-yoga, or ātma-wisdom, is no other than Karma-yoga itself. How it is so is explained by: ‘For no one becomes a yogi who is not exempt from delusion’. Delusion is the error one commits of mistaking matter for ātma. Sannyasta-saṅ-kalpaḥ is he who, by the power of his contemplation on true ātma-nature has given up this delusion. He who is otherwise is a-sannyasta-saṅkalpaḥ. No one who has not shaken off this delusion can be counted as a real Karma-yogi among Karma-yogīs, as shown in:

‘He whose all-acts are devoid of desire and delusion (saṅkalpa)’ (IV-19).

That Karma-yoga alone leads, without danger, to yoga (contemplation or meditation) is now stated:—

>> Chapter 6 verse 3

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1 thought on “6.2 yam sanyAsam ithi prAhur”

  1. Great explanation. Sanyasa is yoga. Yoga is the merger of Self with Brahman, the Supreme Being. Sanyasa is the getting rid of anything that is identified with Self. If nothing is attached with self, it the union of Atman in Paramatman. Hence sanyasa is yoga and yoga is sanyasa.

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