Mūla — the verse
Gita Press numberingTranslation
Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣyaArjuna said, "O Krsna, you praise renunciation of actions and, at the same time, Karma-yoga. Please tell me for certain which one is better between these two."
हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda
अर्जुन ने कहा हे -- कृष्ण ! आप कर्मों के संन्यास की और फिर योग (कर्म के आचरण) की प्रशंसा करते हैं। इन दोनों में एक जो निश्चय पूर्वक श्रेयस्कर है, उसको मेरे लिए कहिये।।
Pronunciation — Vaamshii
from VaamshiiWord by word
padārthaThemes
from The Thematic Companion to the Bhagavad GītāMeaning — Questions & Solutions
from Q&A with KnAArjuna is honest to a fault. He has been told to renounce, and told to act; the two sound incompatible, and he asks Kṛṣṇa to settle it: “Renunciation of actions You praise, and again Yoga; tell me decisively which one is better.” The repetition of his confusion from 3.2 is not a flaw in the text but a fidelity to how the mind actually learns — the same knot must often be untied more than once, and at a deeper level each time. Kṛṣṇa's answer will be that the dilemma is false: the choice is not between acting and not-acting, but between acting with the ego and acting without it.