Equanimity is yoga.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय |सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥४८॥
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanañjaya | siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate ||48||
Use this verse as your pre-work grounding line.
Meaning
Established in yoga, perform action, abandoning attachment, O Dhananjaya. Remain equal in success and failure. Such equanimity is called yoga.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Yoga is not escape; it is balanced action.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna defines yoga as equanimity. This is deeply different from seeing yoga only as posture, ritual, or relaxation. Yoga is the inner state from which action is performed. When the mind remains steady in success and failure, work becomes worship and life becomes practice.
Read the traditional commentary
This verse is the practical companion to verse 47. If 47 tells us what to not do (attach to results), verse 48 tells us how to do action correctly: in a state of yoga — inner balance and equanimity.
The definition Krishna gives here is remarkable in its simplicity: 'yoga is equanimity' (samatvam yoga ucyate). We often think of yoga as a complex technical practice. But here, at the Gita's most philosophical depth, yoga is defined simply as balance — the steady, even quality of mind that is neither inflated by success nor deflated by failure.
This is not the equanimity of indifference. A person of samatva is fully engaged, brings their whole capability to the work, cares about what they are doing — but is not controlled by outcomes. The analogy is of a skilled craftsperson who brings precision and care to their work but does not stake their psychological wellbeing on whether the piece is praised or criticized.
Krishna also uses the phrase 'yoga-sthah' — 'established in yoga.' This suggests a state of being, not just a technique. Yoga is not something you do for an hour on a mat; it is a way of inhabiting your life — with steadiness, with awareness, with inner equanimity regardless of what the outer situation brings.
In daily life
Do your work from inner steadiness, not emotional dependence on results.
A creator should publish sincerely and not let views decide their self-worth.
Try this today
Before working, take one breath and say: I work from steadiness.
I act from yoga, steady in success and failure.Reflect
What result currently controls my emotional state?
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Quick check
What does ‘सङ्गम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on balance, in other chapters
- Verse 4.22Stay content with what comes, free of comparison, and even-minded in success or failure — then no action can bind you.
- Verse 6.7Inner peace is steady when praise and blame, comfort and discomfort, no longer disturb the calm at your center.
- Verse 13.10Love your people and possessions with open hands, keeping an even mind through both fortune and loss.
- Verse 18.2True renunciation is giving up selfish motives and clinging to results, not giving up action itself.
Swipe left for 2.49 · Take refuge in wisdom, not reward craving.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 2.48
Who says Bhagavad Gita 2.48, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 2.48, in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga (Sankhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 2.48 mean?
Established in yoga, perform action, abandoning attachment, O Dhananjaya. Remain equal in success and failure. Such equanimity is called yoga. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 2.48 for daily life?
Do your work from inner steadiness, not emotional dependence on results. A creator should publish sincerely and not let views decide their self-worth.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 2.48 mean?
योगस्थ: — steadfast in yoga; कुरु — perform; कर्माणि — actions; सङ्गम् — attachment; त्यक्त्वा — having abandoned.
Where does verse 2.48 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 48 of 72 in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga. The next verse is 2.49.