Shloka 4
ध्यानयोगः — Dhyāna-Yoga
Discipline of Meditation and Mental Restraint
तू मेरा भक्त और प्रिय सखा है, इसलिये वही यह पुरातन योग आज मैंने तुझको कहा है; क्योंकि यह बड़ा ही उत्तम रहस्य है अर्थात् गुप्त रखनेयोग्य विषय हैः ।।
arjuna uvāca | aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ | katham etad vijānīyāṁ tvam ādau proktavān iti ||
Arjuna berkata: “Kelahiran-Mu baru terjadi, sedangkan kelahiran Dewa Surya amat purba. Bagaimana aku harus memahami bahwa pada permulaan Engkaulah yang mengajarkan Yoga ini kepadanya?”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna raises a rational doubt about the chronology of Krishna’s claim to have taught the ancient Yoga to Vivasvat. The verse sets up Krishna’s explanation of divine, non-ordinary birth and the timeless transmission of dharma through successive ages.
After hearing that Krishna taught this Yoga to the Sun-god long ago, Arjuna points out the apparent contradiction: Krishna appears to be of recent birth, while Vivasvat belongs to primordial time. He asks how to reconcile this, prompting Krishna’s forthcoming teaching on his divine manifestations and remembrance across ages.