Mūla — the verse
Gita Press numberingदूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय।
बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः
dūreṇa hy-avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya
buddhau śharaṇam anvichchha kṛipaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ
Anuṣṭubh
Translation
Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣyaO Dhananjaya, indeed, action is inferior to the yoga of wisdom. Take refuge in wisdom. Those who thirst for rewards are pitiable.
हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda
इस बुद्धियोग की तुलना में(सकाम) कर्म अत्यन्त निकृष्ट हैं? इसलिये हे धनंजय तुम बद्धि की शरण लो फल की इच्छा करनेवाले कृपण (दीन) हैं।।
Pronunciation — Vaamshii
from Vaamshiiदूरेणह् यवरङ् कर्म
बुद् धियोगाद् धनञ् जय
बुद् धौ शरण मन् विच्छ
कृपणा# फल हेतवः
॥ ४९ ॥
Read each split group as one breath-unit; hyphens join pādas kept whole for the meter or a compound word. Symbols: # upadhmānīya (visarga before p/ph), % jihvāmūlīya (visarga before k/kh), ऽ avagraha (an elided a). Full method →
Word by word
padārthadūreṇa(discrad) from far away
hicertainly
avaraminferior
karmareward-seeking actions
buddhi-yogātwith the intellect established in Divine knowledge
dhanañjayaArjun
buddhaudivine knowledge and insight
śharaṇamrefuge
anvichchhaseek
kṛipaṇāḥmiserly
phala-hetavaḥthose seeking fruits of their work
Meaning — Questions & Solutions
from Q&A with KnA2.49“Take refuge in the intellect.”
Kṛṣṇa values the intellect highly. He does not ask us to believe or to dismiss anything by mere disbelief. He wants the highest intellectual power turned to good use in exploring the psyche and the existential questions. He supports intellectualism — but not in the modern sense of a biased, agenda-driven, closed mind. He means the intellectualism, the spiritual inquiry, of a Vasiṣṭha, a Janaka, an Aṣṭāvakra, a Yājñavalkya, and the other sages.