Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2
Sankhya Yoga — సాంఖ్య యోగం
72 verses · The Path of Knowledge / Yoga of Discrimination
Krishna begins his teaching. He explains the immortality of the soul (Atman), the perishability of the body, the duties of a Kshatriya, and introduces the concept of Karma Yoga (action without attachment to fruits). Chapter 2 verse 47 — "Karmaṇy-evādhikāras te" — is the most famous verse of the entire Gita.
Key Verse
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन — You have the right to action alone, never to its fruits.
Karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadāchana
నీకు కర్మ చేసే హక్కు మాత్రమే ఉంది, ఫలంపై హక్కు లేదు
Spiritual Lesson
The Sthitaprajna (stable-minded sage) verses (54-72) define the highest spiritual personality — equanimous in success and failure, free from attachment and aversion.
Where Chapter 2 sits in the Bhagavad Gita
Sankhya Yoga is the 2nd of the Bhagavad Gita's eighteen chapters and runs to 72 verses. The longest of the eighteen is Chapter 18 at 78 verses and the shortest are Chapter 12 and Chapter 15 at 20 verses, so this one sits toward the longer end of that range. Its name is written సాంఖ్య యోగం in Telugu, and in English it is given as the Path of Knowledge / Yoga of Discrimination.
It follows Chapter 1, Arjuna Vishada Yoga, the Despondency of Arjuna, and runs on into Chapter 3, Karma Yoga, the Path of Selfless Action. The eighteen chapters are one continuous conversation rather than eighteen separate readings, so a chapter read on its own carries the argument of the one before it. All eighteen chapters are listed here.
Questions about Chapter 2
How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2?
Chapter 2, Sankhya Yoga, has 72 verses. Chapter lengths across the Gita are uneven, and this page publishes the count for this chapter alone rather than a running total, because editions differ over how one chapter is numbered.
What does Sankhya Yoga mean?
In English it is given as the Path of Knowledge / Yoga of Discrimination. The name is written సాంఖ్య యోగం in Telugu. Chapter names in the Gita describe what the chapter is about rather than acting as titles a reader has to decode.
Which chapter comes before and after Chapter 2?
Before: Chapter 1, Arjuna Vishada Yoga — The Despondency of Arjuna. After: Chapter 3, Karma Yoga — The Path of Selfless Action. The Gita is a single conversation, so the chapters are numbered in the order they are spoken and are meant to be read that way.