श्रीमद् भगवद्गीता

मूल श्लोकः

अर्जुन उवाच

संन्यासस्य महाबाहो तत्त्वमिच्छामि वेदितुम्।

त्यागस्य च हृषीकेश पृथक्केशिनिषूदन।।18.1।।
 

English Commentary By Swami Sivananda



18.1 संन्यासस्य of renunciation, महाबाहो O mightyarmed, तत्त्वम् the essence of truth, इच्छामि (I) wish, वेदितुम् to know, त्यागस्य of Tyaga or abandonment, च and, हृषीकेशः O Krishna, पृथक् severally, केशिनिषूदन् slayer of Kesi.

Commentary:
The teaching of the whole of the GitaSastra is summed up beautifully in this discourse. This last discourse is a brief masterly summary of all that is told in the previous chapters. Arjuna wishes to know the distinction between Sannyasa and Tyaga.Kesi was an Asura whom Lord Krishna slew. So Lord Krishna is addressed as Kesinishudana by Arjuna.The words Sannyasa and Tyaga have been used here and there in the preceding discourses but their connotations are not lucidly distinguished. Therefore Lord Krishna clearly explains to Arjuna the right significance of the two terms in the following verse.

English Translation of Abhinavgupta's Sanskrit Commentary By Dr. S. Sankaranarayan

18.1 Samnyasaya etc. It has been delcared earlier that 'He [alone] is a man of relinishment and is also a man of wisdom' (II, 50); and 'He [alone] is a man of renunciation and a man of Yoga; but not he who remains without his fires (VI, 1)', and so on. Thus, becuase a man of relinishment and a man of renunciation are both found mentioned, now arises this estion from a person (Arjuna) who is desirous of understanding their difference. Now [by giving] the answer -

English Translation Of Sri Shankaracharya's Sanskrit Commentary By Swami Gambirananda

18.1 O mighty-armed Hrsikesa, kesi-nisudana, O slayer of (the demon) Kesi; icchami, I want; veditum, to know; prthak, severally, through their mutual distinctions; tattvam, the truth, the intrinsic nature, i.e. the real meaning; sannyasasya, of sannyasa, i.e. the meaning of the word sannyasa, ca, as also; tyagasya, of tyaga, i.e. the meaning of the word tyaga. Kesi was a demon who had assumed the form of a horse, and Lord Vasudeva had killed him. Hence He is addressed by that name (Kesi-nisudana) by Arjuna. The word sannyasa and tyaga, used in various places in the preceding chapters, are not explicit in their implications. Therefore, in order to determine them for Arjuna who had put the estion,-