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 4–6 of 72 · Show all 72 verses

Arjuna uvācaअर्जुन उवाच

  1. 2·4कथं भीष्ममहं सङ्ख्ये द्रोणं च मधुसूदन । इषुभिः प्रतियोत्स्यामि पूजार्हावरिसूदन ॥ ४ ॥kathaṁ bhīṣmamahaṁ sāṅkhye droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana, iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāvarisūdana.How, O Madhusudana, shall I strike Bhishma and Drona with weapons in battle, they who are worthy of worship, O…
  2. 2·5गुरूनहत्वा हि महानुभावान् श्रेयो भोक्तुं भैक्ष्यमपीह लोके । हत्वार्थकामांस्तु गुरूनिहैव भुञ्जीय भोगान् रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् ॥ ५ ॥gurūnahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyamapīha loke, hatvārthakāmāṁstu gurunihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhirapradigdhān.Better in this world to live even on alms than to slay these high-souled Gurus.
  3. 2·6न चैतद्विद्मः कतरन्नो गरीयो यद्वा जयेम यदि वा नो जयेयुः । यानेव हत्वा न जिजीविषाम- स्तेऽवस्थिताः प्रमुखे धार्तराष्ट्राः ॥ ६ ॥na c’aitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ, yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmaḥ te’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ.Nor do I know which for us is better, that we conquer them or they conquer us, – before us stand the…

End of the chapter

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सुब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादेसाङ्ख्ययोगो नाम द्वितीयोऽध्यायः ॥ २॥

om tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsubrahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvādesāṅkhyayogo nāma dvitīyo’dhyāyaḥ

Go to a verse

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70
  71. 71
  72. 72