Renounce selfish intention.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
यं संन्यासमिति प्राहुर्योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव |न ह्यसंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन ||६-२||
yaṃ saṃnyāsamiti prāhuryogaṃ taṃ viddhi pāṇḍava . na hyasaṃnyastasaṅkalpo yogī bhavati kaścana ||6-2||
Use this verse to purify intention.
Meaning
O Pandava, know that what is called renunciation is yoga; no one becomes a yogi without giving up selfish resolves.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Yoga requires giving up selfish inner agendas.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna says yoga and renunciation meet inside the mind. The obstacle is not action itself, but ego-driven planning, craving, and hidden expectation.
Read the traditional commentary
Here Krishna identifies sannyasa and yoga as essentially one path, removing any sense that renunciation and disciplined action are rival roads. What the scriptures praise as renunciation, he tells Arjuna, is the very thing he means by yoga. The two converge at a single inner point: the giving up of sankalpa — the egoic resolve, the web of desire-driven intentions that the mind weaves around every act.
The radical claim is that no one becomes a yogi without renouncing sankalpa. It is not the action that binds us but the self-centred intention behind it. As long as the mind clings to its private projects — 'I must have this outcome' — it remains divided and restless. Release the grasping intention, and the same life becomes yoga. Renunciation, then, is an inward surrender, not an outward escape.
In daily life
Before action, check whether your motive is service or ego.
A creator posting to serve is freer than one posting only for validation.
Try this today
Write the motive behind one important action.
I release selfish motives and act with clarity.Reflect
What hidden expectation is driving my action?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘असंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on renunciation, in other chapters
- Verse 2.59Forced abstinence suppresses sense appetite but only the direct experience of the Supreme dissolves the taste for lower pleasures entirely.
- Verse 8.10A serene and focused death is earned in life by ripening devotion and disciplined practice together, not separately.
- Verse 15.11Spiritual effort bears fruit only when the heart that makes it has first been purified.
- Verse 18.33Pure resolve steadily masters mind and senses through unwavering, disciplined practice.
Swipe left for 6.3 · Use the right practice for your stage.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.2
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.2, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.2, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.2 mean?
O Pandava, know that what is called renunciation is yoga; no one becomes a yogi without giving up selfish resolves. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.2 for daily life?
Before action, check whether your motive is service or ego. A creator posting to serve is freer than one posting only for validation.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.2 mean?
यम् संन्यासम् इति प्राहुः — what they call renunciation; योगम् तम् विद्धि — know that to be yoga; पाण्डव — O son of Pandu (Arjuna); न हि — verily not; असंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पः — one who has not renounced selfish resolves / intentions.
Where does verse 6.2 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 2 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.3.