Verse 5.4

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 5.4:

साङ्ख्य-योगौ पृथग् बालाः प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिताः ।
एकम् अप्य् आस्थितः सम्यग् उभयोर् विन्दते फलम् ॥ ४ ॥

sāṅkhya-yogau pṛthag bālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ |
ekam apy āsthitaḥ samyag ubhayor vindate phalam || 4 ||

sāṅkhya-yogau–renouncing one’s prescribed duty and worshipping Bhagavān by selflessly offering Him the fruit of one’s action; pṛthag–different; bālāḥ–the ignorant; pravadanti–declare; na–reject; paṇḍitāḥ–the learned; ekam–in one; api–even; āsthitaḥ–being situated; samyag–properly; ubhayoḥ–of both; vindate–one obtains; phalam–the result.

Only the ignorant say that the renunciation of action (sāṅkhya) and worshipping Bhagavān by selflessly offering Him the fruit of one’s action (niṣkāma-karma-yoga) are different. The wise reject such opinions. By following either path correctly, one attains the result of both, in the form of liberation from material bondage.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

“O Arjuna, you have asked which of these two is superior, but this is not actually a question at all; the wise see no difference between them.” For this purpose, Śrī Bhagavān is speaking this verse beginning with sāṅkhya. Here, sāṅkhya, which means ‘being fixed on the platform of knowledge (jñāna-niṣṭhā)’, indicates one of its limbs, sannyāsa. Only children or fools say that sannyāsa is different from niṣkāma-karma-yoga. The wise do not think like this. This has been described in the previous verse, jñeyaḥ sa nitya-sannyāsī (Gītā 5.3). Thus, by taking shelter of either, the result of both is attained.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

When the heart becomes purified by properly engaging in niṣkāma-karma-yoga, knowledge appears, after which one eventually achieves liberation. This is also the fundamental purpose of renouncing one’s prescribed duty (karma-sannyāsa). Since the end result of both niṣkāma-karma-yoga and karma-sannyāsa is liberation, they are non-different. By following one of them, the result of both is achieved. Although externally, the directions for enjoying the material world according to the regulative principles of the scriptures (pravṛtti) appears to be different from the directions for giving up the material world for higher spiritual understanding (nivṛtti), the wise do not see a difference between them, since the result of both processes is the same.