True renunciation isn't physical withdrawal but internal detachment while performing action. This is the essence of the Sanskrit text called Bhagavad Gita. And this practice is the essence of yoga. It is this mood and practice which facilitates union with spirit, with source, with the Godhead.
This philosophy of true renunciation is a fundamental part of the Vaishnava school of Vedanta, led by Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya.
Ramanuja (11th century CE)
Ramanuja, the founder of Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, interprets "yogam" in this verse as "bhakti-yoga" or devotional service combined with action. In his Sri Bhasya, he explains:
"The term 'yoga' here refers to actions performed with devotion to the Supreme. Krishna is not presenting two entirely different paths but rather showing how renunciation finds its fulfillment in actions performed in a spirit of devotion without ego-identification."
For Ramanuja, the apparent contradiction is resolved when we understand that true renunciation happens internally, while externally one may still perform actions.
Madhvacharya (13th century CE)
Madhva, founder of Dvaita Vedanta, interprets "yogam" as "the means of attaining the Supreme." In his commentary, he states:
"The Lord speaks of sannyasa and yoga not as contradictory paths but as complementary aspects of devotional service. Yoga here means the discipline of action dedicated to Vishnu, performed with detachment. True sannyasa (renunciation) is not the abandonment of action but the abandonment of the fruit of action."
This philosophy is to be found in the writings of later teachers or Acharyas in the same Vaishnava lineage, like the 16th century six goswamis of Vrindavana. They use the Sanskrit term "yukta vairagya" which means real renunciation.
The true renunciate is one who performs actions without attachment, not one who simply ceases activity.
This is one of the Gita's central teachings: that spiritual life isn't about escaping the world of action but transforming how we act within it through detachment, discipline, and devotion.
Specifically it's an understanding that everything comes from the same source, and that all material energy should simply be channeled in service of the divine, returned to its rightful owner, not exploited for our sense gratification or totally renounced as illusory or mundane.
Yukta-Vairagya: The Synthesis of Yoga and Renunciation
The concept of "yukta-vairagya" (engaged or appropriate renunciation) represents a sophisticated development of the idea presented in Bhagavad Gita 5.1, where Krishna addresses Arjuna's confusion about the paths of yoga (disciplined action) and sannyasa (renunciation).
Yukta-Vairagya in Sanskrit Tradition
"Yukta-vairagya" combines two powerful Sanskrit terms:
Yukta (युक्त) - connected, joined, appropriate, engaged
Vairagya (वैराग्य) - detachment, renunciation, dispassion
This concept represents the middle path between extreme asceticism and worldly attachment - utilizing everything in divine service rather than rejecting the world outright. It aligns perfectly with the Gita's teaching that actions performed without attachment, as service to the divine, constitute true renunciation.
Rupa Goswami and the Six Goswamis on Yukta-Vairagya
The Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, particularly Rupa Goswami (1489-1564 CE), significantly developed this concept within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, offering profound insights about the relationship between renunciation and devotional service.
Rupa Goswami's Definition in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu
In his seminal work "Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu" (1.2.255-256), Rupa Goswami precisely defines yukta-vairagya:
"anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ
nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate"
"When one is not attached to anything but accepts everything in relation to Krishna, one is situated above possessiveness. Such a state of mind is called yukta-vairagya."
He contrasts this with "phalgu-vairagya" (false or dry renunciation):
"prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ
mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate"
"When persons eager to achieve liberation renounce things related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, considering them material, their renunciation is called incomplete."
Sanatan Goswami
Sanatan Goswami, in his "Hari-bhakti-vilasa," elaborates on yukta-vairagya as practical devotional service:
"The true renunciate uses his body, mind, wealth, and words in the service of Sri Krishna, rather than abandoning them. This is the essence of bhakti."
Jiva Goswami
Jiva Goswami, in his "Bhakti Sandarbha," connects yukta-vairagya to the concept of "yoga" from the Gita:
"The yoga mentioned by Lord Krishna is precisely this engagement of everything in divine service. When the devotee sees all things in relation to Krishna, both engagement and renunciation become one path."
Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur
In his commentary on Bhagavad Gita 5.1, Vishvanatha Chakravarti explains:
"The yogam praised by Krishna is nothing but yukta-vairagya—the practical application of knowledge where one performs all actions as offerings to the Supreme, free from attachment and false proprietorship."
Bhaktivinoda Thakur (19th century)
In "Jaiva Dharma," Bhaktivinoda Thakur explains:
"Yukta-vairagya means to accept everything favorable for Krishna consciousness and reject everything unfavorable. This is the practical application of Lord Krishna's teaching on yoga in the Gita, where action and renunciation merge."
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami
In his commentary on Brahma-samhita, writes:
"The transcendental science of bhakti unites the principles of yoga (engagement) and sannyasa (renunciation) through yukta-vairagya. This is not mere theoretical knowledge but practical wisdom about how to live in this world while serving Krishna."
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
In his commentary on Bhagavad Gita, Prabhupada connects yukta-vairagya directly to the concept of "yogam" as found in 5.1:
"When Krishna speaks of yoga in this verse, He refers to the connection of all our activities with the Supreme. This is explained further in the philosophy of yukta-vairagya developed by Srila Rupa Goswami—everything should be used in the service of Krishna. Nothing is to be rejected; everything has its use in the service of the Lord."
Such a realization transcends false dichotomy. Real renunciation is not what the Shankara impersonalist Adwaita school suggests - that matter is illusion and to be rejected. No. Real renunciation implies that since the material world is emanating from the one spirit source, it is not illusory but temporary and should be engaged in the service of the source, the owner. All energy or prakriti emanates from the original source or purusha, including all matter and also ourselves - our body, mind, words and assets.
This is the Vedic conclusion presented by the teachers or Acharyas in the Vaishnava school of thought, based on the words spoken by Krishna in this chapter.
Bhagavad Gita ch5:1
अर्जुन उवाच
सन्न्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि ।
यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ॥ १ ॥
arjuna uvāca
sannyāsaṁ karmaṇāṁ kṛṣṇa
punar yogaṁ ca śaṁsasi
yac chreya etayor ekaṁ
tan me brūhi su-niścitam
SYNONYMS
arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna said; sannyāsam—renunciation; karmaṇām—of all activities; kṛṣṇa—O Kṛṣṇa; punaḥ—again; yogam—devotional service; ca—also; śaṁsasi—You are praising; yat—which; śreyaḥ—is beneficial; etayoḥ—of these two; ekam—one; tat—that; me—unto me; brūhi—please tell; suniścitam—definitely.
TRANSLATION
Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, first of all You ask me to renounce work, and then again You recommend work with devotion. Now will You kindly tell me definitely which of the two is more beneficial?
PURPORT
In this Fifth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that work in devotional service is better than dry mental speculation. Devotional service is easier than the latter because, being transcendental in nature, it frees one from reaction. In the Second Chapter, preliminary knowledge of the soul and its entanglement in the material body were explained. How to get out of this material encagement by buddhi-yoga, or devotional service, was also explained therein. In the Third Chapter, it was explained that a person who is situated on the platform of knowledge no longer has any duties to perform. And, in the Fourth Chapter, the Lord told Arjuna that all kinds of sacrificial work culminate in knowledge. However, at the end of the Fourth Chapter, the Lord advised Arjuna to wake up and fight, being situated in perfect knowledge. Therefore, by simultaneously stressing the importance of both work in devotion and inaction in knowledge, Kṛṣṇa has perplexed Arjuna and confused his determination. Arjuna understands that renunciation in knowledge involves cessation of all kinds of work performed as sense activities. But if one performs work in devotional service, then how is work stopped? In other words, he thinks that sannyāsam, or renunciation in knowledge, should be altogether free from all kinds of activity because work and renunciation appear to him to be incompatible. He appears not to have understood that work in full knowledge is nonreactive and is therefore the same as inaction. He inquires, therefore, whether he should cease work altogether, or work with full knowledge.
Reference: Bhagavad Gita As It Is, translation and commentary by Swami A C Bhaktivedanta, original MacMillan 1972 edition.
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