Chapter 12, Verse 12 (Bhagavad Gita 12.12)
Chapter 12: Bhakti Yog – The Yoga of Devotion
Sanskrit Shloka
श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते।ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम्
Transliteration
śhreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj jñānād dhyānaṁ viśhiṣhyate dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgāch chhāntir anantaram
Word Meanings
śhreyaḥ—better; hi—for; jñānam—knowledge; abhyāsāt—than (mechanical) practice; jñānāt—than knowledge; dhyānam—meditation; viśhiṣhyate—better; dhyānāt—than meditation; karma-phala-tyāgaḥ—renunciation of the fruits of actions; tyāgāt—renunciation; śhāntiḥ—peace; anantaram—immediately
Translation
Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice; better than knowledge is meditation; better than meditation is the renunciation of the fruits of actions, for peace immediately follows such renunciation.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound instruction, Lord Krishna reveals to Arjuna the hierarchy of spiritual disciplines that lead the soul toward Him. While regular practice and intellectual knowledge are foundational, Bhagwan Shri Krishna emphasizes that the highest state is the complete surrender of the results of one's actions to the Divine. By abandoning the egoistic desire for the fruits of labor, a seeker stops creating new karmic entanglements and finds immediate access to the Lord's own tranquil nature. This internal shift of surrendering the 'doer-ship' to Yogeshwar Krishna is the direct path to liberation, replacing restlessness with eternal peace.