BhG 5.1

syntax

arjunaḥ (Arjuna) uvāca (he spoke):
he kṛṣṇa (O Kṛṣṇa!),
[tvam] (you) karmaṇām (of activities) saṁnyāsam (renunciation) punaḥ (again) yogam ca (and yoga) śaṁsasi (you praise).
etayoḥ (of these two) [madhye] (among) yat (that which) śreyaḥ (better) [asti] (it is),
tat ekam (that one) su-niścitam (decidedly) me (to me) brūhi (you must speak).

grammar

arjunaḥ	–	arjuna 1n.1 m. – white, clear, Arjuna;
uvāca	–	√vac (to speak) Perf. P 1v.1 – he spoke;
saṁnyāsam	–	saṁnyāsa 2n.1 m. – laying aside, resignation, renunciation (from: sam-ni-√as – to lay aside, to renounce, to give up);
karmaṇām	–	karman 6n.3 n. – of activities (from: √kṛ – to do);
kṛṣṇa	–	kṛṣṇa 8n.1 m. – O dark one, O Kṛṣṇa;
punaḥ	–	av. – back, again
yogam	–	yoga 2n.1 m. – yoga, yoking, application, a means, one of the schools of Hindu philosophy (from:√yuj – to yoke, to join, to engage);
ca	–	av. – and;
śaṁsasi	–	√śaṁs (to praise, to extol) Praes. P 2v.1 – you praise;
yat	–	yat sn. 1n.1 n. – that which;
śreyaḥ	–	śreyas 1n.1 n. – better, higher, perfect, the auspiciousness, the welfare (comparative of: śrī – śreyas, śreṣṭha);
etayoḥ	–	etat sn. 6n.2 m. – of these two;
ekam	–	eka sn. 2n.1 n. – one;
tat	–	tat sn. 2n.1 n. – that;
me	–	asmat sn. 4n.1 – to me (shortened form of: mahyam);
brūhi	–	√brū (to speak) Imperat. P 2v.1 – you must speak;
suniścitam	–	su-niścita (nir-√ci – to ascertain, to resolve) PP 2n.1 n. – ascertained, settled, or av. – certainly, decidedly, positively;

textual variants

saṁnyāsaṁ → sanyāsam (renunciation);
śaṁsasi → saṁśasi (you praise);
yac chreya etayor ekaṁ → yaś chreyān etayor ekas (which better, of these two one);
su-niścitam → vi-niścitam (deidedly);

Śāṃkara

saṃnyāsaṃ parityāgaṃ karmaṇām āstrīyāṇām anuṣṭheya-viśeṣāṇāṃ śaṃsasi praśaṃsasi kathayasīty etat | punar yogaṃ ca teṣām eva anuṣṭhānam avaśya-kartavyaṃ śaṃsasi | ato me katarat śreyaḥ iti saṃśayaḥ—kiṃ karmānuṣṭhānaṃ śreyaḥ, kiṃ vā tad-dhānam iti | praśasyataraṃ cānuṣṭheyam | ataś ca yat śreyaḥ praśasyataram etayoḥ karma-saṃnyāsa-karma-yogayor yad-anuṣṭhānāt śreyo’vāptir mama syād iti manyase, tad ekam anyatarat saha eka-puruṣānuṣṭheyatvāsaṃbhavāt me brūhi suniścitam abhipretaṃ taveti

Rāmānuja

karmaṇāṃ saṃnyāsaṃ jñānayogam punaḥ karmayogaṃ ca śaṃsasi / etad uktaṃ bhavati dvitīye ‚dhyāye mumukṣoḥ prathamaṃ karmayoga eva kāryaḥ, karmayogena mṛditāntaḥkaraṇakaṣāyasya jñānayogenātmadarśanaṃ kāryam iti pratipādya punas tṛtīyacaturthayoḥ jñānayogādhikāradaśāpannasyāpi karmaniṣṭhaiva jyāyasī, saiva jñānaniṣṭhānirapekṣā ātmaprāptau sādhanam iti karmaniṣṭhāṃ praśaṃśasi iti / tatraitayor jñānayogakarmayogayor ātmaprāptisādhanabhāve yad ekaṃ saukāryac chaighryāc ca śreyaḥ śreṣṭham iti suniścitam, tan me brūhi

Śrīdhara

ajñāna-sambhūtaṃ saṃśayaṃ jñānāsinā chittvā karma-yogam ātiṣṭha ity uktam | tatra pūrvāpara-virodhaṃ manvāno ‚rjuna uvāca saṃnyāsam iti | yas tv ātma-ratir eva syād ity ādinā sarvaṃ karmākhilaṃ pārtha ity ādinā ca karma-saṃnyāsaṃ kathayasi | jñānāsinā saṃśayaṃ chittvā yogam ātiṣṭha iti punar yogaṃ ca kathayasi | na ca karma-saṃnyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca ekasyaiva ekadaiva sambhavataḥ viruddha-svarūpatvāt | tasmād etayor madhya ekasminn anuṣṭhātavye sati mama yac chreyaḥ suniścitam tad ekaṃ brūhi

Madhusūdana

he kṛṣṇa ! sadānanda-rūpa bhakta-duḥkha-karṣaṇeti vā | karmaṇāṃ yāvaj-jīvādi-śruti-vihitānāṃ nityānāṃ naimittikānāṃ ca saṃnyāsaṃ tyāgaṃ jijñāsum ajñaṃ prati kathayasi veda-mukhena punas tad-viruddhaṃ yogaṃ ca karmānuṣṭhāna-rūpaṃ śaṃsasi | etam eva pravrājino lokam icchantaḥ pravrajanti, tam etaṃ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti yajñena ity ādi-vākya-dvayena –

nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ |
śārīraṃ kevalaṃ karma kurvann āpnoti kilbiṣam || [Gītā 4.21]

chittvainaṃ saṃśayaṃ yogam ātiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhārata iti gītā-vākya-dvayena vā | tatraikam ajñaṃ prati karma-tat-tyāgayor vidhānād yugapad ubhayānuṣṭhānasambhavād etayoḥ karma-tat-tyāgayor madhye yad ekaṃ śreyaḥ praśasyataraṃ manyase karma vā tat-tyāgaṃ vā tan me brūhi suniścitaṃ tava matam anuṣṭhānāya

Viśvanātha

proktaṃ jñānād api śreṣṭhaṃ karma tad-dāṛḍhya-siddhaye |
tat-padārthasya ca jñānaṃ sāmyād yā api pañcame ||

pūrvādhyāyānte śrutena vākya-dvāreṇa virodham āśaṅkamānaḥ pṛcchati sannyāsam iti |

yoga-saṃnyasta-karmāṇaṃ jñāna-saṃchinna-saṃśayam |
ātmavantaṃ na karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanaṃjaya || [Gītā 4.41]

iti vākyena tvaṃ karma-yogenotpanna-jñānasya karma-saṃnyāsaṃ brūṣe |

tasmād ajñāna-saṃbhūtaṃ hṛt-sthaṃ jñānāsinātmanaḥ |
chittvainaṃ saṃśayaṃ yogam ātiṣṭhottiṣṭha bhārata || [Gītā 4.42]

ity anena punas tasyaiva karma-yogaṃ ca brūṣe | na ca karma-saṃnyāsaḥ karma-yogaś ca ekasyaiva ekadaiva sambhavataḥ, sthiti-gativat viruddha-svarūpatvāt | tasmāj jñānī karma-saṃnyāsaṃ kuryāt, karma-yogaṃ vā kuryād iti tvad-abhiprāyam anavagato |haṃ pṛcchāmi etayor madhye yad ekaṃ śreyas tvayā suniścitam tan me brūhi

Baladeva

jñānataḥ karmaṇaḥ śraiṣṭhyaṃ sukaratvādinā hariḥ |
śuddhasya tad-akartṛtvaṃ tvety ādi prāha pañcame ||

dvitīye mumukṣuṃ praty ātma-vijñānaṃ mocakam abhidhāya tad-upāyayā niṣkāmaṃ karma kartavyam abhyadhāt | labdha-vijñānasya na kiṃcit karmāstīti yas tv ātma-ratir eva syāt iti tṛtīye, sarvaṃ karmākhilaṃ pārtha iti caturthe cāvādīt | ante tu tasmād ajñāna-saṃbhūtaṃ [Gītā 4.42] ity ādinā tasyaiva punaḥ karma-yogaṃ prāvocat | tatrārjunaḥ pṛcchati saṃnyāsam iti | he kṛṣṇa ! karmaṇāṃ sannyāsaṃ sarvendriya-vyāpāra-virati-rūpaṃ jñāna-yogam ity arthaḥ | punar yogaṃ karmānuṣṭhānaṃ ca sarvendriya-vyāpāra-rūpaṃ śaṃsasi | na caikasya yugapat tau sambhavetāṃ, sthiti-gativat tamas-tejovac ca viruddha-svarūpatvāt | tasmāl labdha-jñānaḥ karma sannyased anutiṣṭhed veti bhavad-abhimataṃ vettum aśakto ‚haṃ pṛcchāmi | etayoḥ karma-sannyāsa-karmānuṣṭhānayor yad ekaṃ śreyas tvayā suniścitaṃ tattvaṃ me brūhīti