Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 3

श्रीभगवानुवाच । लोकेऽस्मिन् द्विविधा निष्ठा पुरा प्रोक्ता मयानघ । ज्ञानयोगेन साङ्ख्यानां कर्मयोगेन योगिनाम्

śrībhagavānuvāca | loke'smin dvividhā niṣṭhā purā proktā mayānagha | jñānayogena sāṅkhyānāṃ karmayogena yoginām

Translation

In this world a twofold path was taught by Me at first, O sinless one: that of the Sāṅkhyas by devotion to knowledge, and that of the Yogins by devotion to action.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

loke

in world

asmin

(in) this

dvividhā

twofold

niṣṭhā

belief

purā

formerly

proktā

said

mayā

by me

anagha

O sinless one

jñānayogena

of knowledge, by yoga

sāṅkhyānām

of the Sāṅkhyas

karmayogena

of action, by yoga

yoginām

of the yogis

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

In this world — with reference to the people of the three castes, for whom alone are intended the teachings of the śāstra — a twofold path of devotion was taught by Me, the Omniscient Lord, when at first, at the beginning of creation, I created people and revived the tradition of the Vedic doctrine. One was jñāna-yoga, the devotion of knowledge — suited to the Sāṅkhyas, to those who possessed a clear knowledge of the Self and the not-Self. The other was karma-yoga, the devotion of action — suited to Yogins, to karmins, to those who were inclined to action. These two paths are intended for two distinct classes of aspirants, not to be conjoined in one and the same person.