But renunciation in the highest sense, O mighty-armed one, is hard to reach without yoga, without the Vedic yoga of action carried out as an offering to the Lord with no regard for a fruit. The sage, the one who by reflection dwells on the nature of the Lord, soon, quickly, reaches Brahman, the renunciation in hand, the renunciation in the highest sense marked as steadfastness in the knowledge of the supreme Self. That renunciation is here called Brahman, by the scripture 'renunciation is Brahmā, for Brahmā is the supreme' (Nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad 2.78). So I said the yoga of action is distinguished above mere renunciation. When, on the other hand, this yoga is a means to the gaining of right knowledge.

But renunciation, the discipline of knowledge, is impossible to attain apart from the discipline of action, apart from the practice of action. One joined with the discipline of action, himself a sage, given to pondering the self, having accomplished the discipline of action with ease, reaches Brahman before long, in a short time, attains the self. But one joined with the discipline of knowledge accomplishes the discipline of knowledge with great pain, and, since it is hard to accomplish and hard to attain, attains the self only after a long time. This is the meaning.

And for this reason too the discipline of yoga is better than renunciation, Krishna says with 'but renunciation'. In the absence of yoga the fruit of release and the rest does not come, so for such a renunciation there is only the pain of conquering desire and the rest, while release and the rest are its proper fruit. The intent is that any other fruit, being slight, is no fruit at all. So the Padma says, 'what is without the fruit of release is not proclaimed a fruit'. What is fit for a great fruit has, indeed, no slight fruit, as a handful of rice is no price for a ruby. And renunciation, if it is joined with yoga, has the great fruit, Krishna says with 'joined with yoga'. 'Muni' means the renouncer, as it is said, 'he indeed is called a muni in the world who is free of desire and anger'.