Bhagavad Gita 13.25

Verse 25

ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना | अन्ये सांख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे || २५ ||

Transliteration

dhyānenātmani paśyanti kecid ātmānam ātmanā anye sāṅkhyena yogena karma-yogena cāpare

Synonyms

dhyānena—by meditation; ātmani—within the self; paśyanti—see; kecit—some; ātmānam—the Self; ātmanā—by the self; anye—others; sāṅkhyena—by Sankhya philosophy; yogena—by yoga; karma-yogena—by karma-yoga; ca—also; apare—others.

Translation

Some perceive the Self within the self through meditation; others through the yoga of knowledge (Sankhya); and yet others through the yoga of action (Karma Yoga).

Multi-Tradition Commentary

Swami Chinmayananda

Krishna acknowledges the plurality of valid paths to the same realization. The meditator who stills the mind and turns within; the Sankhya philosopher who discriminates between Purusha and Prakriti; the karma yogi who acts without attachment — all three can arrive at the same recognition of the Self. The Gita is not sectarian; it maps all the roads to the same summit.

Practical Application (Modern Life)

Identify which of the three approaches most naturally resonates with your temperament: stillness and meditation (dhyana), discriminative inquiry and study (sankhya yoga), or engaged action without attachment (karma yoga). Beginning with your natural orientation and then expanding to incorporate the others over time is the wisest approach. No path is superior; the right path is the one you can actually walk.

Chapter Content

View all shlokas in Chapter 13

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