श्रीमद्भगवद्गीताBhagavad Gītā · in the light of Sri Aurobindo, home

Chapter II72 verses

अथ द्वितीयोऽध्यायः

सांख्ययोगः

The Yoga of Knowledge

Sāṅkhya-yoga

Between the two armies the Charioteer smiles, for he sees in the weeping man that which was never born and cannot be slain. — The Delight of Krishna

The soul enters in
viṣāda — the dejection in which every standard fails and the soul turns to the Friend
and is led towards
brāhmī sthiti — the firm standing in the Brahman, where desire falls silent like the filled and motionless sea

Recitations

  1. Swami Sarvagananda ji0:00
  2. Ashit Desai0:00
In this chapter

72 verses

Summary of chapter 2

The answer of the Teacher proceeds upon two different lines:

I. The Creed of the Aryan Fighter (1-38)

First, a brief reply founded upon the philosophic and moral conceptions of Vedanta and the social ldea of duty and honour which formed the ethical basis of Aryan Society.

II. The Yoga of the Intelligent Will (39-72)

Another reply founded on a more intimate Knowledge, opening into deeper truths of our being. which is the real starting-point of the teaching of the Gita. The Gita lays the first foundation by subtly unifying Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta.

Chapter 2 illustration, titled सांख्ययोगः
Illustration · Sushanto Nath, Sri Aurobindo Society

Chapter outline

Choose a range to read just those verses.

  1. 2·1–3Shri Krishna‘s first response.
  2. 2·4–6Arjuna's ethical arguments.
  3. 2·7–9His imploration, his disciple-spirit seeking for the Master's help for the best.
  4. 2·10–30Shri Krishna's revelation of the essential truth of the spirit, the Sankhva discrimination between the destructible body and the indestructible soul; irrelevance of the fear of death and of grief.
  5. 2·31–37The ideal of the Kshatriya, the Aryan fighter.
  6. 2·38–40The call to Yoga of the intelligent will.
  7. 2·41–46Importance of the right orientation of intelligence and will
  8. 2·47–53The great significance of the Buddhi Yoga.
  9. 2·54–72The characteristics of the Self-reposed, the Wisdom-poised.
  10. 2·1–72Show all 72 verses

The verses

Showing verses 31–37 of 72 · Show all 72 verses

Śrī Bhagavān uvācaश्रीभगवानुवाच

  1. 2·31स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि । धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते ॥ ३१ ॥svadharmamapi cāvekṣya na vikampitumarhasi, dharmyāddhi yuddhācchreyo’nyatkṣatriyasya na vidyate.Further, looking to thine own law of action thou should not tremble…
  2. 2·32यदृच्छया चोपपन्नं स्वर्गद्वारमपावृतम् । सुखिनः क्षत्रियाः पार्थ लभन्ते युद्धमीदृशम् ॥ ३२ ॥yadṛcchayā copapannaṁ svargadvāramapāvṛtam, sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddhamīdṛśam.When such a battle comes to them of itself like the open gate of heaven, happy are the Kshatriyas then.
  3. 2·33अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि । ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि ॥ ३३ ॥atha cettvamimaṁ dharmyaṁ saṁgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi, tataḥ svadharmaṁ kīrtiṁ ca hitvā pāpamavāpsyasi.But if thou dost not this battle for the Right, then hast thou abandoned thy duty and virtue and thy glory…
  4. 2·34अकीर्तिं चापि भूतानि कथयिष्यन्ति तेऽव्ययाम् । संभावितस्य चाकीर्तिर्मरणादतिरिच्यते ॥ ३४ ॥akīrtiṁ cāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣyanti te’vyayām, saṁbhāvitasya cākīrtirmaraṇādatiricyate.Besides, men will recount thy perpetual disgrace, and to one in noble station, dishonour is worse than death.
  5. 2·35भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथाः । येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम् ॥ ३५ ॥bhayādraṇāduparataṁ maṁsyante tvāṁ mahārathāḥ, yeṣāṁ ca tvaṁ bahumato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam.The mighty men will think thee fled from the battle through fear, and thou, that wast highly esteemed by them…
  6. 2·36अवाच्यवादांश्च बहून्वदिष्यन्ति तवाहिताः । निन्दन्तस्तव सामर्थ्यं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम् ॥ ३६ ॥avācyavādāṁśca bahūnvadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ, nindantastava sāmarthyaṁ tato duḥkhataraṁ nu kim.Many unseemly words will be spoken by thy enemies, slandering thy strength; what is worse grief than that?
  7. 2·37हतो वा प्राप्स्यसि स्वर्गं जित्वा वा भोक्ष्यसे महीम् । तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः ॥ ३७ ॥hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṁ jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm, tasmāduttiṣṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛtaniścayaḥ.Slain thou shalt win Heaven, victorious thou shalt enjoy the earth…

End of the chapter

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सुब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादेसाङ्ख्ययोगो नाम द्वितीयोऽध्यायः ॥ २॥

om tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsubrahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvādesāṅkhyayogo nāma dvitīyo’dhyāyaḥ

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