Take refuge in wisdom, not reward craving.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय ।बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥
dūreṇa hy avaraṃ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ
Use this verse when short-term reward tempts you away from wisdom.
Meaning
Action done with desire for results is far inferior to action guided by wisdom, O Dhananjaya. Seek refuge in wisdom; those driven only by fruits are pitiable.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Wisdom-guided action is higher than result-obsessed action.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna asks Arjuna to take refuge in buddhi, the higher intelligence that sees beyond immediate reward. When action is driven only by fruits, the person becomes dependent, anxious, and small. Buddhi-yoga restores dignity because it makes action purposeful, ethical, and internally free.
Read the traditional 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.
In daily life
Let values and clarity guide action more than short-term gain.
A professional may reject a high-paying role if it damages health, ethics, or long-term purpose.
Try this today
For one decision, compare immediate reward with long-term dharma.
I take refuge in wisdom-guided action.Reflect
Am I choosing by wisdom or by reward hunger?
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Quick check
What does ‘phala-hetavaḥ’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on karma, in other chapters
- Verse 18.12Clinging to results binds you to their consequences; releasing them sets you free.
- Verse 4.37Just as fire turns wood to ash, the fire of true knowledge burns away the binding power of all our actions.
- Verse 8.3The imperishable Brahman lives as your own deepest Self, and even action is its creative expression unfolding through you.
- Verse 13.22What you cling to shapes where you go — attachment to nature's qualities keeps the wheel of rebirth turning.
Swipe left for 2.50 · Yoga is excellence in action without bondage.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 2.49
Who says Bhagavad Gita 2.49, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 2.49, in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga (Sankhya Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 2.49 mean?
Action done with desire for results is far inferior to action guided by wisdom, O Dhananjaya. Seek refuge in wisdom; those driven only by fruits are pitiable. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 2.49 for daily life?
Let values and clarity guide action more than short-term gain. A professional may reject a high-paying role if it damages health, ethics, or long-term purpose.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 2.49 mean?
dūreṇa — by far, from a great distance; hi — certainly, indeed; avaram — inferior, lower; karma — action, work; buddhi-yogāt — than yoga of intelligence, than karma yoga.
Where does verse 2.49 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 49 of 72 in Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga. The next verse is 2.50.