📿 Shloka Collection

Tapasvibhyo'dhiko Yogi

Gita 6.46 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6 — Atma Samyama Yoga
तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः ।
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन ॥
Tapasvibhyo'dhiko yogi jnanibhyo'pi mato'dhikah
Karmibhyash chadhiko yogi tasmad yogi bhav Arjuna
तपस्विभ्यः अधिकः
greater than ascetics
योगी
the yogi
ज्ञानिभ्यः अपि मतः अधिकः
considered greater even than the learned
कर्मिभ्यः च अधिकः
and greater than ritualists
तस्मात् योगी भव अर्जुन
therefore, be a yogi, O Arjuna

Near the chapter's close, Krishna makes a sweeping declaration. The yogi stands above three other types of seekers. Above the tapasvi — the ascetic who endures physical hardship. Above the jnani — the scholar who masters texts. Above the karmi — the ritualist who performs ceremonies. The yogi, who integrates all three through inner discipline, surpasses them all.

This is not meant as a ranking that diminishes the other paths. Tapas, jnana, and karma are all valuable. But each alone is partial. The ascetic may mortify the body without touching the mind. The scholar may know every text without transforming the heart. The ritualist may perform every ceremony without inner stillness. The yogi brings body, mind, and action together.

And then the direct call: 'Tasmad yogi bhav Arjuna.' Therefore, be a yogi, Arjuna. Not 'think about it.' Not 'consider it.' Be one. It is one of the clearest instructions Krishna gives.

This shloka serves as the chapter's call to action. From 6.1 onward, Krishna has described what a yogi is, how to meditate, and what fruits follow. Now he simply says: become one.

The comparative structure — tapasvi, jnani, karmi, yogi — reflects the Gita's view that yoga is not a separate path but the integration of all paths. The yogi does not abandon austerity, knowledge, or action. The yogi unites them.

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