Different paths can lead to realization.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना |अन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे ||१३-२५||
dhyānenātmani paśyanti kecidātmānamātmanā . anye sāṅkhyena yogena karmayogena cāpare ||13-25||
Use this verse for spiritual path personalization.
Meaning
Some see the Self in the self through meditation; others through Sankhya yoga, and others through karma yoga.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Different seekers realize the Self through different valid paths.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna honors multiple spiritual temperaments. Some progress through meditation, some through philosophical discrimination, and some through selfless action.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna now generously acknowledges that there is no single road to realising the Self. Some perceive the Self within through meditation (dhyana), turning attention inward until the witness is directly beheld 'by the self in the self.' Others arrive through Sankhya-yoga, the path of discerning knowledge, analysing reality until the truth of the Self becomes luminous. Still others reach the same goal through karma-yoga, selfless action offered without attachment to results.
This verse is a model of spiritual breadth. The Gita does not insist that everyone meditate, or everyone philosophise, or everyone serve; it honours the diversity of human temperaments. The contemplative, the thinker, and the doer each have an authentic path home.
What matters is not which method but that it leads to the same vision of the Self. For the seeker this is liberating: you may begin where your nature is strongest, trusting that any sincere path, faithfully walked, converges on the one truth.
In daily life
Choose the path that helps you sincerely grow.
A person may prefer meditation, study, or service depending on temperament.
Try this today
Choose one primary practice for the next seven days.
I follow the path that awakens my Self-awareness.Reflect
Which path suits me now: meditation, study, or service?
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Quick check
What does ‘कर्मयोगेन च अपरे’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on paths, in other chapters
- Verse 4.25Sacrifice takes many forms — from outward ritual to the inner offering of the ego — and every sincere one is a path of worship.
- Verse 8.27True understanding ends confusion and bears fruit in steady, unbroken practice maintained through every season of life.
- Verse 5.27Withdraw the senses, steady your gaze, and balance the breath — these simple disciplines quiet the mind for inner realization.
- Verse 6.26Whenever the mind wanders, simply notice and gently bring it back — that patient return is the heart of practice.
Swipe left for 13.26 · Sincere listening can begin liberation.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 13.25
Who says Bhagavad Gita 13.25, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 13.25, in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 13.25 mean?
Some see the Self in the self through meditation; others through Sankhya yoga, and others through karma yoga. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 13.25 for daily life?
Choose the path that helps you sincerely grow. A person may prefer meditation, study, or service depending on temperament.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 13.25 mean?
ध्यानेन — by meditation; आत्मनि पश्यन्ति — behold within the self; केचित् आत्मानम् आत्मना — some, the Self by the self; अन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन — others by the yoga of knowledge (Sankhya); कर्मयोगेन च अपरे — and still others by the yoga of action.
Where does verse 13.25 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 25 of 35 in Chapter 13, Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 13.26.