Chapter 4 · Knowledge and Renunciation of Action

श्रीकृष्णŚrī Kṛṣṇa speaks
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Text 4.1

श्रीभगवानुवाच इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत्

śhrī bhagavān uvācha imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣhvākave ’bravīt

Recitation · Text 4.1
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Word-for-Word Śabda-Artha (13 words)

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Purport Overview & Key Insights

Krishna opens Chapter Four by naming a chain of transmission: he taught this imperishable yoga to Vivasvān, who told Manu, who instructed Ikṣhvāku. Before any new teaching arrives, the Gita pauses to say where the teaching came from.

✨ Devotional Takeaway:Before offering a new teaching, the Gita stops to say where the teaching came from.