श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज् ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते ।ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस् त्यागाच्छांतिरनन्तरम् ॥
śreyo hi jñānamabhyāsāj jñānāddhyānaṃ viśiṣyatedhyānātkarmaphalatyāgas tyāgācchāṃtiranantaram
Better indeed is knowledge than practice; than knowledge, meditation is better; than meditation, renunciation of the fruit of action; on renunciation follows peace.
Gītā 12·12…here the Gita gives an ascending scale of potencies and assigns the palm of excellence to this Yoga of desireless action. abhyāsāt, practice of a method, repetition of an effort and experience is a great and powerful thing; but better than this is knowledge, the successful and luminous turning of the thought to the Truth behind things. This thought-knowledge too is excelled by a silent complete concentration on the Truth so that the consciousness shall eventually live in it and be always one with it. But more powerful still is the giving up of the fruit of one’s works, because that immediately destroys all causes of disturbance and brings and preserves automatically an inner calm and peace, and calm and peace are the foundation on which all else becomes perfect and secure in possession by the tranquil spirit.
