Gita 6.46

Sadhak: "Why is the yogi greater than the ascetic? Ascetics endure tremendous hardship."

Guru: "Physical hardship doesn't guarantee inner transformation. A person can fast for weeks while the mind runs wild. The yogi's work is on consciousness itself—subtler, harder to verify, but more fundamental. The ascetic mortifies the body hoping the mind will follow; the yogi transforms the mind directly."

Sadhak: "But the verse says the yogi is greater even than the jñānī. Surely knowledge is supreme?"

Guru: "There are two kinds of jñānīs: those who know about reality and those who know reality. The first can explain everything but experience little; they're librarians of wisdom. The yogi may not articulate as well but has direct perception. If you want to know water, you must drink."

Sadhak: "What about the karmī—one who performs righteous actions? Good works surely benefit the world."

Guru: "The karmī's limitation is not the action but the attachment to results. Wanting heaven, wanting merit—these desires keep the karmī bound. The yogi acts too, but without these chains. Moreover, the yogi's inner transformation benefits the world through resonance."

Sadhak: "Isn't calling the yogi 'greater' divisive?"

Guru: "The hierarchy is descriptive, not divisive—it describes effectiveness, not worth. For the specific goal of liberation, yoga is more effective than tapas, scholarship, or ritual alone. Krishna is counseling Arjuna on the most direct route. And notice: the ascetic, scholar, and ritualist can each become yogis by integrating yoga."

Sadhak: "'Yogī bhava—become a yogi.' What does this actually mean in practice?"

Guru: "A yogi is one who practices yoga—union with the Divine through disciplined awareness. This means: cultivate regular meditation, develop equanimity, act without attachment, see the Divine in all beings, and maintain consciousness rather than living mechanically."

Sadhak: "Can I be a yogi while also practicing austerity, studying scriptures, and performing my duties?"

Guru: "Integration, not abandonment. The complete yogi may practice appropriate austerity, study deeply, and fulfill duties. Yoga is the unifying factor that elevates these other practices. Be a yogi who also practices austerity, studies, and acts—not instead of these but as their essence."

Sadhak: "This feels like a lot of pressure—be greater than ascetics, scholars, and ritualists!"

Guru: "The pressure dissolves when you understand: becoming a yogi is not achieving a standard but shifting orientation. The moment you practice with awareness rather than mechanical repetition, you're a yogi. You become one the moment you genuinely begin the path."