Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5
Karma Sannyasa Yoga — కర్మ సన్యాస యోగం
29 verses · The Path of Renunciation
Arjuna asks: is renunciation (sannyasa) of action better, or selfless action (karma yoga)? Krishna says both lead to the same goal, but karma yoga is easier in this age. The truly wise person sees that they are not the doer — actions happen through nature's gunas while the Self remains untouched.
Key Verse
ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः — One who acts placing his actions in Brahman, abandoning attachment.
Brahmaṇy-ādhāya karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā karoti yaḥ
కర్మలను బ్రహ్మంలో ఉంచి, ఆసక్తి విడిచిపెట్టి కర్మలు చేసేవాడు
Spiritual Lesson
External renunciation (giving up action) and internal renunciation (renouncing attachment to fruits) — the second is what Krishna recommends.
Where Chapter 5 sits in the Bhagavad Gita
Karma Sannyasa Yoga is the 5th of the Bhagavad Gita's eighteen chapters and runs to 29 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 in the middle of that range. Its name is written కర్మ సన్యాస యోగం in Telugu, and in English it is given as the Path of Renunciation.
It follows Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga, the Path of Knowledge in Action, and runs on into Chapter 6, Atma Samyama Yoga / Dhyana Yoga, the Path of Meditation. 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 5
How many verses are in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5?
Chapter 5, Karma Sannyasa Yoga, has 29 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 Karma Sannyasa Yoga mean?
In English it is given as the Path of Renunciation. The name is written కర్మ సన్యాస 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 5?
Before: Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga — The Path of Knowledge in Action. After: Chapter 6, Atma Samyama Yoga / Dhyana Yoga — The Path of Meditation. 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.