Chapter 4, Verse 4
Part of 4: Jñāna Karm Sanyās Yog — ज्ञानकर्मसंन्यासयोगअर्जुन उवाच अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः। कथमेतद्विजानीयां त्वमादौ प्रोक्तवानिति॥
Transliteration
arjuna uvācha aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ katham etad vijānīyāṁ tvam ādau proktavān iti
Meaning
Arjuna said, "Later was Thy birth, and prior to it was the birth of Vivasvan (the Sun); how am I to understand that Thou hast taught this Yoga from the beginning?"
Word-by-word meaning
arjunaḥ uvācha — Arjun saidaparam — laterbhavataḥ — yourjanma — birthparam — priorjanma — birthvivasvataḥ — Vivasvan, the sun-godkatham — howetat — thisvijānīyām — am I to understandtvam — youādau — in the beginningproktavān — taughtiti — thus
Commentary
Thy birth took place later in the hourse of Vasudeva Vivasvan or Vivasvat (the Sun) was born earlier in the beginning of evolution. How am I to believe that Thou taughtest this Yoga in the beginning to Vivasvan, and that Thou, the selfsame person, hast now taught it to me I am not able to reconcile this. Be kind enought to enlighten me? O my Lord.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 4?▼
Arjuna said, "Later was Thy birth, and prior to it was the birth of Vivasvan (the Sun); how am I to understand that Thou hast taught this Yoga from the beginning?"
Which chapter and verse of the Bhagavad Gita is this?▼
This is verse 4 of Chapter 4 (Jñāna Karm Sanyās Yog — Path of Knowledge and the Disciplines of Action) of the Bhagavad Gita, a scripture of 18 chapters and 700 verses spoken by Lord Krishna to Arjuna.