Gita 06.46 – Focus on transcendence is superior to any material attainment – gross or subtle
tapasvibhyo ’dhiko yogī
jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna
(BG 06.46)
Word-to-word
tapasvibhyaḥ — than the ascetics; adhikaḥ — greater; yogī — the yogī; jñānibhyaḥ — than the wise; api — also; mataḥ — considered; adhikaḥ — greater; karmibhyaḥ — than the fruitive workers; ca — also; adhikaḥ — greater; yogī — the yogī; tasmāt — therefore; yogī — a transcendentalist; bhava — just become; arjuna — O Arjuna.
Translation
A yogī is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist and greater than the fruitive worker. Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogī.
Explanation
Krishna now concludes the sixth chapter by summarizing its message. He compares the various paths described earlier and establishes that the path of yoga is the highest.
The word karmī here does not refer to a karma-yogī; it refers to a karma-kāṇḍī — someone who performs religious rituals for material prosperity and sense gratification. Such a person follows dharma mainly for the sake of artha and kāma. Krishna discussed this mentality earlier in 2.42–43, describing those who are captivated by the flowery language of the Vedas — yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ pravadanty avipaścitaḥ — and advised Arjuna not to remain on that level.
In this chapter, Krishna uses the phrase śabda-brahmātivartate — found in 6.44 — to describe one who goes beyond śabda-brahmā, the domain of Vedic sound, specifically the section dealing with ritualistic karma-kāṇḍa. Such a practitioner has risen above the limited goals of ritualistic religion.
Why, then, is a yogī superior to a karmī? Because the results attained by a karmī are temporary. The fruits of karma-kāṇḍa lead to elevation to heavenly planets, but those rewards eventually expire. Krishna will explicitly state this in 9.21: te taṁ bhuktvā svarga-lokaṁ viśālaṁ kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti — after enjoying heavenly pleasures, one returns again to the mortal world.
In contrast, the result of the path of yoga is eternal. By progressing on the yogic path, one moves toward lasting spiritual perfection, not temporary, perishable enjoyment.
Next, Krishna compares the yogī with two additional categories: those on the path of tapa and those on the path of jñāna. He says, tapasvibhyo ’dhiko yogī — the yogī is superior to the tapasvī.
A tapasvī is one who engages in austerity. A yogī may also perform austerity — for instance, living in the forest and accepting its hardships is certainly a form of tapa. But austerity is not the defining characteristic of a yogī. The essence of yoga is connection — connection with the Absolute Truth, the pursuit of that Truth, and the practical process by which one aligns one’s consciousness with it.
For a tapasvī, however, the defining identity is austerity itself. If one performs austerity without understanding its purpose, without using it to gain spiritual insight or deepen spiritual connection, then that austerity is far less conducive to spiritual advancement than yoga. Austerity may help us reduce our attachment to gross matter — by fasting, giving up certain foods, or restraining the senses. These practices certainly have value. But even while renouncing gross material pleasures, one may inadvertently strengthen attachment to subtle matter — especially attachment to one’s opinions, prestige, or reputation as a renunciant.
If austerity inflates one’s sense of superiority — “I am more renounced than others” — then instead of dissolving the false ego, it reinforces it. In such a case, one is not truly detaching from matter; one has simply shifted from gross identification to subtle egoic identification.
Therefore, while tapasya is indeed a component of yoga, in genuine yoga it remains subordinate to the essential purpose — connection with the spiritual reality. When tapasya is harmonized with this purpose, it supports spiritual progress. But when austerity becomes an end in itself, it can entangle one in subtle bondage.
Hence, Krishna declares the yogī superior: the yogī prioritizes inner connection, using austerity only as a servant of spiritual advancement, not as a separate identity.
Jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ — “Even greater than the wise is the yogi.”
Jñānī refers to one who possesses knowledge. Here, Krishna offers a gentle yet firm correction. Should the cultivation of knowledge be abandoned for the practice of yoga? Is the pursuit of knowledge somehow opposed to yoga? Not at all.
Knowledge (jñāna) can be harmonized with yoga, provided that the pursuit of intellectual stimulation or a sense of intellectual superiority does not divert one from the yogic goal. The goal of yoga is transcendental truth.
A yogi may not yet know what that ultimate transcendental reality is, but the yogi is steadily oriented toward transcendence. On the path of jñāna, however, even while inquiring into the Absolute through rigorous intellectual analysis, the pleasure of intellectual discovery can easily become intoxicating.
Writers feel a thrill when an idea crystallizes. Scientists feel exhilaration when a new insight leads to a discovery. These joys arise even from worldly subjects — what to speak of ideas related to transcendence!
Thus, even on a spiritual path, one may become more absorbed in the delight of knowledge than in the object of knowledge. Such a person remains a jñānī but does not become a jñāna-yogī.
A jñāna-yogī uses knowledge as a means to practice yoga. Krishna is not referring to such a person here. He is speaking about those who are intellectual by nature and may even be inclined toward transcendence, yet who cannot attain the Absolute merely through intellectual effort. One must continue the journey with steady focus on the Absolute Truth.
“Jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ” thus means that one who relies solely on the intellectual platform cannot reach the transcendental destination, whereas the yogi — by remaining fixed in the pursuit of transcendence — ultimately attains it.
In this way, Krishna explains that:
– The jñānī is higher than the karmī, who seeks only temporary results.
– The jñānī is also higher than the tapasvī, who may be satisfied merely by the power to control the body.
– The karmī becomes satisfied with heavenly pleasure,
– the tapasvī with bodily mastery,
– and the jñānī with the intoxication of intellectual insight — without necessarily attaining spiritual realization.
But the yogi keeps the spiritual goal at the center. Therefore, the yogi is the highest.
And among all yogis, who is the supreme? Krishna reveals that in the next verse.
Thank you.
Leave A Comment