Sanskrit
तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः । कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन ॥
tapasvibhyo'dhiko yogī jñānibhyo'pi mato'dhikaḥ karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī tasmād yogī bhavārjuna
Translation
The Yogi is greater than the ascetics; he is thought to be greater than even the wise; the Yogi is greater than the men of action; therefore become thou a Yogi, O Arjuna!
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Krishna ranks the yogi above three other recognized paths — ascetics, the learned, and men of ritual action (karmin) — before delivering the chapter’s direct imperative to Arjuna. This is one of the few places in the Gita where Krishna states an explicit hierarchy among spiritual paths rather than simply describing each on its own terms. The three it tops — tapasvin (austerity), jñānin (learning), karmin (rites) — are exactly the three BG 4.28 listed as forms of sacrifice. The yogi integrates what each does in isolation.
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Word by word
- tapasvibhyo'dhiko yogīतपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी
- the yogi is greater than ascetics (tapasvibhyaḥ + adhikaḥ + yogī)
- jñānibhyo'pi mato'dhikaḥज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः
- deemed greater than the learned too (jñānibhyaḥ + api + mataḥ + adhikaḥ)
- karmibhyaś cādhiko yogīकर्मिभ्यश् चाधिको योगी
- and greater than men of ritual action (karmibhyaḥ + ca + adhikaḥ + yogī)
- tasmād yogī bhavārjunaतस्माद् योगी भवार्जुन
- therefore be a yogi, Arjuna (tasmāt + yogī + bhava + arjuna)
Commentary
Site Commentary
This ranking arrives at a very particular moment — right after a long stretch of Arjuna’s doubt has just been resolved, and right before the chapter’s direct command. Krishna doesn’t move straight from reassurance to imperative; he inserts a statement of the path’s superior value first, as if closing an argument with “and here’s why this is worth doing” immediately before saying “so do it.” It’s persuasion structure as much as philosophical claim.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
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Lessons
Personal
- Once you've resolved your own doubt about whether a hard practice is worth sustaining, reinforce the decision by naming explicitly why it's worth more to you than the alternatives you considered — that explicit statement of value, right before recommitting, makes it stick better than doubt-resolution alone.
Professional
- Before asking your team to commit to a hard initiative, don't just resolve their objections and move to the ask — state explicitly why this path is worth more than the alternatives first. Naming the value right before the ask strengthens the commitment more than reassurance alone.
Family & Social
- When you've talked someone close to you through their hesitation about a shared plan, close the conversation by naming explicitly why this path matters more than the alternatives, right before asking for their commitment — it lands more solidly than resolving doubt and moving on unstated.
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