Shloka 4
अक्षरब्रह्मयोग (Akṣara-Brahma-Yoga) — Knowledge of the Imperishable, Prakṛti, and Devotion
इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत भीष्मपर्वके श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतापवके अन्तर्गत ब्रह्मविद्या एवं योगशासत्ररूप श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतोपनिषद्, श्रीकृष्णारजुनसंवादमें ज्ञानकर्मसंन्यासयोग नामक चौथा अध्याय पूरा हुआ,सांख्ययोगौ पृथग् बाला: प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिता: । एकमप्यास्थित: सम्यगुभयोर्विन्दते फलम् उपर्युक्त संन्यास और कर्मयोगको मूर्खलोग पृथक्-पृथक् फल देनेवाले कहते हैं न कि पण्डितजन; क्योंकि दोनोंमेंसे एकमें भी सम्यक् प्रकारसे स्थित पुरुष दोनोंके फलरूप परमात्माको प्राप्त होता हैः
sāṅkhyayogau pṛthag bālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ | ekam apy āsthitaḥ samyag ubhayor vindate phalam ||
The unwise speak of Sāṅkhya (renunciation through knowledge) and Yoga (disciplined action) as if they were different paths with different ends; the truly discerning do not. For one who is rightly established even in one of them, in the proper spirit, attains the fruit of both—realization of the Supreme. Ethically, the teaching dissolves the false conflict between inner renunciation and outward duty: right action, performed without possessiveness and with clarity of understanding, becomes a means to the same liberation that renunciation seeks.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sāṅkhya (renunciant knowledge) and Karma-Yoga (selfless action) are not truly opposed; when practiced correctly, either leads to the same highest fruit. The wise see their unity: inner detachment can be lived through dutiful action, and true renunciation is measured by freedom from ego and attachment, not by mere withdrawal.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra crisis, the teaching addresses Arjuna’s confusion about whether he should renounce action or fight as duty. The verse clarifies that the apparent split between renunciation and action is a misunderstanding: disciplined action with right understanding can fulfill the same spiritual end as formal renunciation.