Chapter 2 · Verse 38 · Sankhya Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 2.38
Sanskrit
सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा लाभालाभौ जयाजयौ। ततो युद्धाय युज्यस्व नैवं पापमवाप्स्यसि।।2.38।।
Transliteration
sukha-duḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi
In plain words
You are exhausted from trying to control what cannot be controlled — the outcome of your marriage, the return of a lover, whether the money comes back, whether the test goes well, whether the treatment works. Krishna says: do what is yours to do, fully and honestly, and release your stranglehold on whether it succeeds or fails. The peace you're looking for lives on the other side of that release.
हिंदी अर्थ
सुख-दुःख, लाभ-हानि, जीत-हार को समान समझकर अपना कर्तव्य पालन करो। इस तरह कर्म करने से तुम्हें कोई पाप नहीं लगेगा।
Word by Word
This verse reveals the heart of yoga — not escape from life's polarities, but liberation through them. When you cease dividing experience into winners and losers, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, you step into the consciousness that Krishna has been guiding Arjuna toward.
This equanimity is not indifference; it is the steady flame of dharma burning free from the smoke of preference. In your own struggles — whether facing professional setbacks, relationship challenges, or creative blocks — this teaching invites you to act with full commitment while releasing your grip on outcomes, transforming anxiety into purposeful presence.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 2.38 — BG 2.38
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