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अर्जुन उवाच -
ज्यायसे चेत् कर्मणस्ते मता बुद्धिः जनार्दन ।
तत्किम् कर्मणि घोरे माम् नियोजयसि केशव ॥ १ ॥
व्यामिश्रेणैव वाक्येन बुद्धिम् मोहयसीव मे ।
तदेकम् वद निश्चित्य येन श्रेयः अहम् आप्नुयाम् ॥ २ ॥

arjuna uvAca -
jyAyase cet karmaNaste matA buddhiH janArdana |
tatkim karmaNi ghore mAm niyojayasi kezava || 1 ||
vyAmizreNaiva vAkyena buddhim mohayasIva me |
tadekam vada nizcitya yena zreyaH aham ApnuyAm || 2 ||

अर्जुन उवाच [arjuna uvAca] Arjuna said- जनर्दन [janardana] O Krishna, ते मता चेत् [te matA cet] if in your opinion, बुद्धिः [buddhiH] the use of knowledge to perform without desire ज्यायसे [jyAyase] is better than कर्मणः [karmaNaH] ordinary actions, तत् किम् [tat kim] then why नियोजयसि माम् [niyojayasi mAm] do you urge me घोरे कर्मणि [ghore karmaNi] to be involved in gruesome acts? व्यामिश्रेणैव [vyAmizreNaiva] With contradictory वाक्येन [vAkyena] statements, मोहयसीव [mohayasIva] it seems to me, that you are deluding मे बुद्धिः [me buddhiH] my intellect. तत् [tat] Hence, एकम् वद [ekam vada] tell me one thing, येन [yena] by which श्रेयः आप्नुयाम् [zreyaH ApnuyAm] I can attain excellence निश्चित्य [nizcitya] definitely.

Arjuna asks Lord Krishna:

If your opinion is that knowledge is better than action, why are you urging me to perform these gruesome actions? Let’s elaborate Arjuna’s question:

Should I employ my organs in activity? Or pull them back?

On one hand, it was told that focused meditation is the means to realizing the Self. Proficiency in working without being driven by desire is the means to achieve this focus.

On the other hand, the advice was to avoid the indulgence of our organs and the mind in sensory perceptions such as touch and sound. This was the means to achieve the knowledge required to realize the Self.

If indeed, ceasing the indulgence of the sense organs is the way to realize the Self, then I would focus only on meditation. That would be the way to get rid of the effects of all my past actions. Why do you urge me to perform gruesome deeds that involve indulgence of all the sense organs, which works against the realization of the Self?

It feels like I am deluded by mixed and contradictory statements. On the one hand, I need to stop indulging in sensual perceptions to gain knowledge about the Self. On the other hand, the directive to work is opposite to that. This is a mixed message. Hence, tell me one statement that is not mixed- implementing which I will certainly attain excellence.