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पञ्चमोऽध्यायः
अर्जुन उवाच । ६६ संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि। तउठेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ॥१॥
CHAPTER V. [In this chapter, has been given the clear answer of the Blessed Lord to the doubts likely to be raised by the followers of the Path of Renunciation to the doctrines laid down in Chapter IV, after expressing those doubts through the mouth of Arjuna. If Jñāna is the ultimate resolution of all Action (4. 33); if all Action is destroyed by Knowledge (4. 37); and if the sacrifice into Knowledge is superior to the sacrifice of wealth (4. 43), then, why has the Blessed Lord, after saying in the second chapter that “it is most meritorious for a Ksatriya to fight the battle prescribed by his religion" (2. 31), summarised the fourth chapter by saying " therefore, stand up to fight, taking shelter in the Karma-Yoga" (4.42)? To this the reply of the Gitā is that what is needed is the fusion of (i) Knowledge, which is necessary for Release, by removing all mental confusion and of (ii) Karma, which cannot be escaped from, and which though not necessary for Release, is yet necessary for Universal Welfare (4. 41). But, even to this an objection may be raised to the effect that, if both the Karma-Yoga and the Sāṁkhya-Yoga are proper according to the Sāstras, why should not a person adopt the SāmkhyaYoga and abandon Action, if that pleases one better? Needless to say, there must be made a clear decision as to which of these two paths is the better one; and as Arjuna was seized with the same doubt, he now raises the following question, in the same way as he had raised the question in the beginning of the third chapter--
(1) Arjuna said:-O KỊşņa ! once you say that the Path of Renunciation is superior, and again that Karma-Yoga (that is, the path of continuing to perform Action) is superior; therefore, tell me definitely that one, of these
