Word meanings
- arjunaḥ uvāca
- Arjun said
- sanyāsasya
- of renunciation of actions
- mahā-bāho
- mighty-armed one
- tattvam
- the truth
- icchāmi
- I wish
- veditum
- to understand
- tyāgasya
- of renunciation of desires for enjoying the fruits of actions
- ca
- and
- hṛṣīkeśa
- Krishna, the Lord of the senses
- pṛthak
- distinctively
- keśī-niṣūdana
- Krishna, the killer of the Keshi demon
Translations
Arjuna said, "O mighty-armed Hrishikesa, I desire to know the essence or truth of renunciation and abandonment severally, O slayer of Kesi."
Arjuna asked, "O Mighty One! I desire to know how relinquishment is distinguished from renunciation.
Arjuna said, O mighty-armed Hrsikesa, O slayer of Kesi, I want to know separately the truth about sannyasa as well as about tyaga.
अर्जुन बोले -- हे महाबाहो ! हे हृषीकेश ! हे केशिनिषूदन ! मैं संन्यास और त्यागका तत्त्व अलग-अलग जानना चाहता हूँ।Commentary
The teaching of the whole of the Gita-Sastra is summed up beautifully in this discourse. This last discourse is a brief masterly summary of all that is told in the previous chapters. Arjuna wishes to know the distinction between Sannyasa and Tyaga. Kesi was an Asura whom Lord Krishna slew. So Lord Krishna is addressed as Kesinishudana by Arjuna. The words Sannyasa and Tyaga have been used here and there in the preceding discourses but their connotations are not lucidly distinguished.
Therefore Lord Krishna clearly explains to Arjuna the right significance of the two terms in the following verse.