Do the Gita's paths form one teaching or several?
A careful reader meets a difficulty early. The Lord speaks of two paths of faith (Gita 3.3), then lists three ways of seeing the Self (Gita 13.25), then calls those who fix the mind on Him the most perfect in yoga (Gita 12.2). In between He places the yogi above the ascetic, the scholar and the ritualist (Gita 6.46). It is fair to ask whether this is one teaching or several, and whether the Gita prefers one path to the rest.
The answer is that the Gita gives several ways to one goal (Gita 5.5). It counts them differently as the question changes, and it praises each on its own measure. It then does something more practical than ranking: it tells a person where to begin (Gita 12.8 to Gita 12.11). Commentators put the weight in three different places, and all three keep every path. This reading goes through the verses, the three streams, the objections a reader would raise and the questions that remain. A plainer first look is in the simple reading, and the comparisons are set out in the detailed reading.
The verses that make the list
The first mention comes at the end of the second chapter. The Lord has explained the understanding from the side of knowledge, and now says to hear it from the side of yoga, and that with this understanding the bondage of action is cast off (Gita 2.39). The finer point is that yoga here is not a second teaching. It is the same steady understanding put to work in action. The next steps are in Buddhi Yoga: The Resolute Intellect.
लोकेऽस्मिन्द्विविधा निष्ठा पुरा प्रोक्ता मयानघ ।
ज्ञानयोगेन साङ्ख्यानां कर्मयोगेन योगिनाम् ॥ ३.३ ॥
The Supreme Lord said: O sinless one, in this world there are two paths of faith, as I explained earlier: the path of knowledge for those inclined toward contemplation, and the path of action for those inclined toward work.
In the third chapter the Lord recalls what He said earlier: in this world there are two paths of faith, knowledge for those inclined to contemplation and action for those inclined to work (Gita 3.3). The division is made by the person, not by the goal. One path suits one inclination and another suits another, and the verse names no winner.
Arjuna then asks that very question, which of the two is better, giving up action or the yoga of action (Gita 5.1).
संन्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरावुभौ ।
तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते ॥ ५.२ ॥
The Blessed Lord said: Both renunciation and Karma Yoga lead to the highest spiritual good. However, of the two, Karma Yoga is considered superior to the renunciation of action.
The Lord answers that both lead to the highest good, and that of the two the yoga of action is better than giving up action (Gita 5.2). The finer point is what is compared. The comparison is between two ways of living, working and not working, and it is made for a person who has to decide how to live. It makes no claim that action is greater than knowledge. The next verses remove the contest. Only the immature think knowledge and action separate (Gita 5.4), and the state reached by one is reached by the other (Gita 5.5).
योगयुक्तो मुनिर्ब्रह्म नचिरेणाधिगच्छति ॥ ५.६ ॥
O mighty-armed Arjuna, renunciation is difficult to attain without the discipline of Karma Yoga. But a thoughtful seeker who is established in selfless action quickly reaches the realization of Brahman.
Then comes the verse that explains why action is called better. Giving up is hard to reach without the yoga of action, and the thoughtful person who is established in selfless action quickly reaches the Absolute (Gita 5.6). Action is the surer road to the very renunciation that knowledge asks for. Where the Lord says "better", He gives the reason.
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन॥ ६.४६॥
The yogi is superior to ascetics, superior even to those who possess only scriptural knowledge, and superior to those engaged merely in ritualistic actions. Therefore, O Arjuna, become a yogi.
In the sixth chapter the yogi is higher than the ascetic, higher than those who have only scriptural knowledge and higher than those who only perform rituals (Gita 6.46). All three are people who hold a part of the path, the practice, the learning or the rite. The yogi is the one who has joined these in union. The verse after it names the most united of all yogis, the one who with faith fixes the mind on the Lord and worships Him (Gita 6.47). The hub that studies these two verses, the supreme yogi, is not yet published here.
In chapter 12 Arjuna asks about two kinds of seekers, those who worship the Lord in His personal form and those who meditate on the imperishable and unmanifest (Gita 12.1). The answer names those who fix the mind on Him with supreme faith as the most perfect in yoga (Gita 12.2). The verses that follow carry on in the same breath. Those who worship the imperishable also reach Him (Gita 12.3), provided they master the senses and look on all with equal vision (Gita 12.4).
अव्यक्ता हि गतिर्दुःखं देहवद्भिरवाप्यते ॥ १२.५ ॥
For those whose minds are fixed on the unmanifest, the struggle is much greater, because the path of the unmanifest is reached with great difficulty by embodied beings. Having said that the formless path also leads to Him, Krishna now honestly points out how demanding it is for those who still live with body-consciousness.
Then the Lord gives the reason for the earlier answer: the struggle is greater for those whose minds are fixed on the unmanifest, because that road is hard to reach for beings who live in a body (Gita 12.5). The finer point is that "most perfect" is a statement about surety and ease. Nothing in the verses closes the other road.
After this come the steps. Fix the mind on the Lord (Gita 12.8). If that cannot be done, practise returning the mind to Him (Gita 12.9). If that is hard, work for Him (Gita 12.10). If even that is hard, give up the fruit of all actions (Gita 12.11). The sequence is studied slowly in The Ladder of Devotion.
ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ॥ १२.१२ ॥
Knowledge is better than mere mechanical practice, meditation is better than knowledge, renunciation of the fruits of actions is better than meditation, and from such renunciation peace follows immediately. The verse presents a progression in which each step deepens the one before it, culminating in the immediate peace that comes from releasing attachment to the results of action.
Then comes a verse that has the form of a ranking: knowledge is better than mere mechanical practice, meditation is better than knowledge, giving up the fruit is better than meditation, and peace follows at once from that giving up (Gita 12.12). Its place after the steps matters. It describes depth that is reached by the person who has taken the steps, and it ends where the steps end, in the giving up of the fruit.
अन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे ॥ १३.२५ ॥
Some perceive the Supreme Self within themselves through meditation, with the purified mind; others through the path of knowledge, and still others through the path of selfless action.
The last list is in the thirteenth chapter. Some see the Self within through meditation with a purified mind, some through knowledge, some through selfless action (Gita 13.25). The next verse adds a fourth company: others, who do not know this directly, worship having heard it from others, and they too cross beyond death (Gita 13.26). So the list widens down to the person who has only faith and hearing.
| Verse | The ways named | What the verse adds |
|---|---|---|
| Gita 2.39 | Knowledge, then the yoga of action | One understanding seen from two sides |
| Gita 3.3 | Knowledge and action | The division is by inclination |
| Gita 5.2, Gita 5.6 | Giving up action and the yoga of action | Action is the surer road to giving up |
| Gita 6.46, Gita 6.47 | Yogi, ascetic, scholar, ritualist; the devotee | The one who joins the parts is higher |
| Gita 12.2 to Gita 12.5 | Devotion and the unmanifest | Both reach, one is easier for the embodied |
| Gita 12.8 to Gita 12.12 | Devotion, practice, work, giving up the fruit | Steps for one person |
| Gita 13.25, Gita 13.26 | Meditation, knowledge, action, faith through hearing | The list widens to everyone |
Three ways commentators weigh the paths
Commentators agree that the Gita keeps every path. They differ on where the weight rests, and each stream has its verses and its reason.
One stream puts knowledge at the end. Action purifies the mind and prepares it, and knowledge is what frees. This stream reads Gita 5.6, where action leads to the very giving up that knowledge asks for, and Gita 4.38, where nothing purifies like knowledge, with the person matured by yoga finding it within in due time. Devotion, in this reading, keeps the seeker steady along the way.
A second stream puts devotion at the end. Devotion is the one path in which knowledge and action find their completion, and both are its limbs. This stream reads Gita 6.47, Gita 12.2 and Gita 18.55, where by devotion a person knows the Lord in truth. Action offered to Him and knowledge of Him are then parts of one turning toward Him.
A third stream takes the paths as equal ways suited to different temperaments, all reaching one goal. It reads Gita 3.3, Gita 5.4, Gita 5.5 and Gita 13.25, where the Lord Himself names the ways side by side and says that the one who sees them as one sees truly.
All three streams take the steps of Gita 12.8 to Gita 12.12 as a practical order for beginning, and none drops a path. One voice from the Bhagavata, in the Lord's teaching to Uddhava, joins the streams in a single picture: the path of knowledge for the person who has lost taste for action, the path of action for the one who still wants things, and the path of devotion for the one who has faith and is neither tired of the world nor tied to it. This is given as the tradition's own reading.
Where the Gita says the same thing from another side
| Verse | What it adds | Which path it touches |
|---|---|---|
| Gita 4.38 | Nothing purifies like knowledge, and the one matured by yoga finds it within in time | Knowledge, ripened by action |
| Gita 7.17 | The wise one, ever steadfast in devotion to the One, is the best | Knowledge and devotion together |
| Gita 9.22 | To those of exclusive devotion the Lord carries what they lack | Devotion |
| Gita 2.48 | Yoga is equanimity in success and failure | Action, and the mark of all four |
| Gita 6.35 | The restless mind is brought under control by practice and detachment | Meditation |
| Gita 3.20 | Janaka and others reached perfection through action alone | Action |
| Gita 18.55, Gita 18.56 | By devotion one knows Him in truth; one who always does all actions, taking refuge in Him, reaches the abode | All four joined |
The parallels are studied in Action Without Claiming the Fruit, The Steadfast Devotee and Divine Care, Acting for the World and Freedom Through Action.
Objections and replies
Why does the Gita say two paths in one chapter and more in another?
Because it counts by different measures. Counted by inclination, there are two (Gita 3.3). Counted by what is practised, there are three, meditation, knowledge and action (Gita 13.25). Counted by the object of the heart, there is devotion (Gita 12.2). The goal stays one (Gita 5.5), and the steps of Gita 12.8 to Gita 12.11 show all four in the life of one person.
If knowledge is the great purifier, how is the yogi above the scholar?
The two verses speak of different things. The yogi is higher than the person who has only scriptural knowledge (Gita 6.46). The great purifier is knowledge matured through yoga, found within in due time (Gita 4.38). The Lord joins the two when He calls the wise person who is steadfast in devotion the best (Gita 7.17). Learning alone is a part, and knowledge ripened in practice is the whole.
If the unmanifest road reaches Him too, why is devotion called most perfect?
Because "most perfect in yoga" (Gita 12.2) measures surety and ease for the embodied, and the Lord gives the reason Himself (Gita 12.5). The other seekers reach Him as well (Gita 12.3, Gita 12.4). The full discussion is in Devotion or the Unmanifest.
Is the path decided by one's nature, so that a person cannot change?
Nature sets the starting door. It does not set the end. The Lord asks each person to act from his own duty (Gita 3.35, Gita 18.46), and He says that even the wise act according to their nature (Gita 3.33). But He also gives the restless mind a remedy in practice and detachment (Gita 6.35) and a step for every point of the climb (Gita 12.9). The people in the list of Gita 13.25 arrive by different doors at the same place. See One's Own Duty.
Does a ranking appear anyway in the order of 12.12?
The verse can be read in two ways. One reads it as an order of depth in which each step completes the one before it. The other reads it as an order of ripening: practice without understanding is dull, understanding steadies into meditation, and meditation matures into giving up the fruit. Both place meditation above knowledge, which agrees with the yogi standing above the scholar (Gita 6.46), and both end at the same point, peace from giving up the claim on the result (Gita 12.12).
Questions the verses raise, answered from the Gita and the tradition
What becomes of a person who starts a path and does not finish?
The verses already say that on this road no effort is lost, and even a little of the practice protects from great fear (Gita 2.40). Elsewhere the Gita answers the question in full. Such a seeker is never lost, here or hereafter (Gita 6.40). He lives for a long time in the worlds of the virtuous and is born into a family where the journey can go on (Gita 6.41). There he regains the understanding of his earlier life and strives again, more earnestly (Gita 6.43), until he reaches the goal after many births (Gita 6.45). The tradition has an image for this in the story of Bharata in the Bhagavata, a saintly king who is carried off course by a last attachment and is born again, with the memory of his path, to finish it. This is the tradition's story, and the verses carry the weight.
How long does each path take?
The verses give the time in each place. For those whose minds are absorbed in Him, He lifts them before long (Gita 12.7). Peace follows at once from giving up the fruit (Gita 12.12). The thoughtful person established in selfless action reaches the goal quickly (Gita 5.6), and knowledge is found within in due time (Gita 4.38). The Gita also says that the one who strives step by step reaches perfection through many births (Gita 6.45). Teachers in the tradition say that the time depends on the earnestness of the person, and the verses agree: the fastest way is the one that is walked wholeheartedly.
How should a person with a family and a job use the paths?
By taking up the work as the Gita describes it. Janaka and others reached perfection through action, and the Lord asks Arjuna to act with the welfare of the world in view (Gita 3.20). Worship through one's own duty brings perfection (Gita 18.46). When the day is too full for practice, work done as an offering is itself a step (Gita 12.10), and letting go of the result is the step after that (Gita 12.11). The tradition holds up King Ambarisha of the Bhagavata, who carried the duties of a kingdom while his mind stayed with the Lord. See Offering All Actions.
What do all four paths have in common?
The same things appear in all four. The claim over the result is let go (Gita 12.11). The mind is held steady in success and failure, and the Lord calls this yoga (Gita 2.48). The eye becomes equal toward all (Gita 12.4). And the mind is fixed on the Lord as the end (Gita 6.47). The paths differ in what they begin with, work, understanding, stillness or love, and they come to the same loosening of the claim, the same steadiness and the same turning to Him. Teachers in the tradition describe the four as one surrender approached from four sides.
Where does the Gita lead the paths in the end?
To refuge. By devotion a person knows the Lord in truth (Gita 18.55). One who always does all actions, taking refuge in Him, reaches the eternal abode (Gita 18.56). And the last word is to abandon all other supports and take refuge in Him alone (Gita 18.66). The next stop, The Final Counsel, reads these closely, and Chapter 18: The Yoga of Liberation through Renunciation carries on from there.
The verses give the direction, the rest of the Gita gives the way, and the tradition gives the examples and the support.
What this reading rests on
The verses are read from the site's own verse data. Where the tradition is cited, it is given as the tradition's own reading, and the three streams of commentary are described without attribution to named teachers.
Going deeper
The short notes on the same ground are Does the Gita Contradict Itself by Praising Several Paths? and Who Is "Best" in the Gita? Reading the Basis of Each Comparison. This is the seventh stop on Begin the Gita.