Chapter 6, Verse 1
Dhyana Yoga — Sanskrit shloka, transliteration, word meanings, English translation, and commentary.
Original Sanskrit verse
Transliteration
Word meanings
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Lord said; anāśhritaḥ—not desiring; karma-phalam—results of actions; kāryam—obligatory; karma—work; karoti—perform; yaḥ—one who; saḥ—that person; sanyāsī—in the renounced order; cha—and; yogī—yogi; cha—and; na—not; niḥ—without; agniḥ—fire; na—not; cha—also; akriyaḥ—without activity
English translation
The Blessed Lord said: He who performs his bounden duty without depending on the fruits of his actions—he is a sannyasi and a yogi, not he who is without fire and without action.
— Swami Sivananda
Listen to Shloka 6.1
Commentary
Actions such as Agnihotra; etc.; performed without the expectation of their fruits purify the mind and become the means to Dhyana Yoga or the Yoga of Meditation. Karyam Karma bounden duty. Niragnih without fire. He who has renounced the daily rituals like Agnihotra; which are performed with the help of fire. Akriya without action. He who has renounced austerities and other meritorious acts like building resthouses; charitable dispensaries; digging wells; feeding the poor; etc. Sannyasi he who has renounced the fruits of his actions. Yogi he who has a steady mind. These two terms are applied to him in a secondary sense only. They are not used to denote that he is in reality a Sannyasi and a Yogi. The Sannyasi performs neither Agnihotra nor other ceremonies. But simply to omit these without genuine renunciation will not make one a real Sannyasi. (Cf. V.3)
Commentary by Swami Sivananda
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