Shloka 26
Brahmopadeśa: Adhipatitva-kathana, Dharma-lakṣaṇa, and Kṣetra–Kṣetrajña Viveka
Book 14, Chapter 43
प्रवृत्तिलक्षणो योगो ज्ञानं संन्यासलक्षणम् | तस्माजज्ञानं पुरस्कृत्य संन्यसेदिह बुद्धिमान्
pravṛttilakṣaṇo yogo jñānaṃ saṃnyāsalakṣaṇam | tasmāj jñānaṃ puraskṛtya saṃnyased iha buddhimān |
प्रवृत्तिलक्षणो योगो ज्ञानं संन्यासलक्षणम्। तस्माज् ज्ञानं पुरस्कृत्य संन्यसेदिह बुद्धिमान्॥
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes two paths by their defining features: yoga is marked by pravṛtti (engaged, duty-oriented action), while saṃnyāsa is marked by jñāna (inner knowledge and discernment). It advises that genuine renunciation should be grounded in knowledge rather than external signs, and that a wise person should prioritize insight and thereby adopt renunciation.
Vāyudeva is speaking as a teacher-figure, offering a doctrinal clarification about yoga and saṃnyāsa. The focus is not on an external event but on ethical-spiritual instruction: how to understand and choose a life-orientation where knowledge leads and outward markers are secondary.