In the Bhagavad-gita’s fifth chapter, Arjuna asks essentially the same question that he asked at the start of the third chapter. “Should he work or renounce work?” 

Contextually, Arjuna’s question arises from Krishna’s using (04.41) the words ‘sannyasa’ (renunciation) and ‘karma’ (action) together, which makes Arjuna think that he should renounce his work. Yet Krishna also asks Arjuna to rise and fight (04.42). But then Krishna recommends fighting with the metaphorical sword of knowledge, which again confuses Arjuna whether he should fight literally or not. 

Conceptually, Arjuna’s question arises from his thinking solely in terms of binary, exclusive categories: work or renunciation of work. When Krishna introduces a third category — renunciation in work or working in a mood of renunciation — Arjuna’s conceptual landscape just can’t accommodate that category. 

Consider a color metaphor.  Suppose someone is familiar only with the binary colors red and blue. When they are told about the attributes of violet which arises from mixing red and blue, they become confused because some of its attributes refer to red and some to blue. 

The same applies to Arjuna. Because he conceives of his options only in binary terms — work binds and renunciation liberates — he just doesn’t get Krishna’s introduction of a third option: work done unselfishly is not binding, but is liberating. In the phrase that confused Arjuna (yoga-sannyasa-karmanam), Krishna recommends not karma-sannyasa, but the sannyasa of karma through yoga, which means renouncing selfish motivation and working for a higher purpose. The metaphorical sword of knowledge is meant to cut the illusions that lead to attached action; it is not meant to replace literal weapons or reject literal fighting. 

In the Gita, Krishna patiently explains his point from multiple perspectives to help Arjuna see beyond preconceived binary categories. 

One-sentence summary: 

To understand a puzzling concept that eludes categorization, we may need to examine and expand our conceptual landscape to accommodate that category. 

Think it over:

  • What is the contextual reason for Arjuna’s question at the start of the Gita’s fifth chapter?
  • What is the conceptual reason for Arjuna’s question?
  • How does expanding the conceptual landscape remove ambiguity from Krishna’s words?

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05.01: Arjuna said: O Krishna, first of all You ask me to renounce work, and then again You recommend work with devotion. Now will You kindly tell me definitely which of the two is more beneficial?

To know more about this verse, please click on the image