Bhagavad Gita 2.50 · Krishna
Yoga is skill in action
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते।
तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्॥
buddhiyukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛtaduṣkṛtetasmādyogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
One with wisdom lets go of both good and bad deeds here. So give yourself to yoga. Yoga is skill in action.
Words
- yoga
What it means
This verse gives the Gita's most quoted definition. Yogah karmasu kaushalam. Yoga is skill in action. A person guided by wisdom doesn't get tangled in the results of good or bad deeds. They act cleanly, fully, without inner knots. That freedom is itself a kind of mastery.
The story
Arjuna is the most skilled archer alive. Krishna speaks to him in the language of skill. The highest skill, he says, isn't hitting a target. It's acting so wisely that the action leaves no residue of craving or fear behind.
In your life
Think of a carpenter who builds a chair with complete attention, not rushing, not worrying about praise. The chair is better for it. Bring that kind of attention to one ordinary task today.
Do one thing beautifully today.