Bhagavat Gita a detailed study-chapter4The truth about action

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Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter4-The truth about action

 

 

Sree bhagavan uvaacha

 

1.imam vivasvathe yogam prokthavaan aham avyayam

vivasvaan manave praaha manuH ikshvaakave abraveeth

 

The Lord said

 

I taught this yoga to the Sun and he told it to Manu who told it to Ikshvaku.

 

2.evam paramparaapraaptham imam raajarshyo vidhuH

sa kaalena iha mahathaa yogaH nashtaH paramthapa

 

Thus the royal sages knew this yoga obtained through tradition, but it became extinct in course of time, Arjuna.

 

3. sa eva ayam mayaa the adhya yogaH prokthaH puraatnanaH

bhakthaH asi me sakhaa cha ithi rahasyam hi ethath

utthamam

 

The same is the yoga, which is a great secret is taught by me to you now because you are my devotee and friend.

 

The discipline of knowledge along with renunciation of result through yoga of action has been explained so far in the previous chapters. Now Krishna sets out the authenticity of Karmayoga by tracing it back to the Sun. He says `imamvivasvathe yogam prokthavaan aham avyayam,' "I taught this immortal yoga to the Sun." Krishna further says that this yoga was known to the rajarshis, who were the descendents of the Sun and it became extinct in course of time. The yoga is ancient and a supreme secret and Krishna tells Arjuna that He will impart the knowledge to Arjuna as he is a devotee and a friend.

 

The Lord says that He taught this karmayoga to the Sun. This means, there could not be a better example of a karmayogi than the Sun. He shines to all and stands as a witness to everything that happens, good or bad and is not affected by anything. He goes on doing his duty as ordained by the Lord. This quality is imparted to the Sun by the Lord only and that is why He says `aham vivasvathe prokthavaan imam yogam, I told this to the Sun.

 

As all beings came from Manu it is said that the Sun taught this to Manu, who did his karma without attachment, following the command of the Lord. Ikshvaku is the descendant of the Sun and hence as the kings of the solar race were reputed to be karmayogins it is mentioned that it was parampara praptham, handed down by tradition.

 

What Krishna meant by saying that this yoga became lost in course of time is that, there was a general decline in dharma by the time the Mahabharatha war started .Hence it was rare to find karmayogis among the royal sages like Ikshvaku and Janaka. Bheeshma might have been the sole exemption.

 

The yoga is referred to as the supreme secret because it is the way to the supreme and could not be understood or followed easily without the proper guidance from a guru.

 

Krishna says to Arjuna that he was instructing this yoga to him because Arjuna was his devotee and friend. To receive a upadesa one must have faith and should be close to the guru. Arjuna being the faithful follower of Krishna and had great love for him Krishna thought that he was the fitting recipient to the secret means of salvation.