Chapter 2, Verse 49
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय । बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥
dūreṇa hy avaraṃ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ
Meaning
O Dhananjaya, keep all inferior works far away from the yoga of intelligence. Seek refuge in divine intelligence. Those who are motivated by the fruits of their action are misers.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna here draws a sharp distinction between action performed for results and action performed through the yoga of intelligence (buddhi yoga). Ordinary karma — action driven by desire for specific outcomes — is described as vastly inferior. The word 'dūreṇa' means 'from a great distance,' indicating that the gap between these two modes of action is enormous, not merely marginal.
The person who acts solely for material results is called 'kṛpaṇa,' which literally means a miser. The comparison is instructive: a miser hoards wealth without using it for any higher purpose. Similarly, someone who spends their entire life acting for paltry material results squanders the rare opportunity of human existence. One has access to the highest wisdom but refuses to apply it.
By taking refuge in buddhi yoga — surrendering the attachment to outcomes and acting with clarity and discernment — a practitioner transcends the binding nature of karma. This verse sets the foundation for the Gita's central teaching on nishkama karma (desireless action). It is not inaction Krishna advocates, but action elevated by wisdom, freed from the compulsive grasping that makes ordinary work a form of bondage.
💡 Key Takeaway
Action performed for results alone is spiritually impoverished; seek refuge in the yoga of intelligence.
Related Verses
अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत । अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना ॥
avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyakta-madhyāni bhārata | avyakta-nidhanāny eva tatra kā paridevanā ||
All beings are unmanifest before birth, manifest during life, and unmanifest again after death, O Arjuna. Given this truth, what is there to lament? Existence is sandwiched between two states of unmanifestness; only the middle phase — life — is visible to us.
एषा तेऽभिहिता सांख्ये बुद्धिर्योगे त्विमां शृणु । बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि ॥
eṣā te'bhihitā sāṃkhye buddhir yoge tv imāṃ śṛṇu | buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karma-bandhaṃ prahāsyasi ||
This wisdom has been given to you in terms of theoretical knowledge (Sankhya); now hear it in terms of practical application (Yoga). Equipped with this practical wisdom, O Arjuna, you will cast off the bondage of karma. The same liberating truth that was taught theoretically must now be understood as a living practice that transforms how you act in the world.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥४७॥
karmaṇy evādhikāraste mā phaleṣu kadācana | mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi ||47||
You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.