Shloka 6
ध्यानयोगः — Dhyāna-Yoga
Discipline of Meditation and Mental Restraint
सम्बन्ध-- भगवान्के मुखसे यह बात सुनकर कि अबतक मेरे बहुत-से जन्म हो चुके हैं. यह जाननेकी इच्छा होती है कि आपका जन्म किस प्रकार होता है और आपके जन्ममें तथा अन्य लोगोंके जन्ममें क्या भेद है। अतएव इस बातको समझानेके लिये भगवान् अपने जन्मका तत्त्व बतलाते हैं-- अजोऊ5पि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्व॒रोडपि सन् । प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय सम्भवाम्यात्ममाययाएें,मैं अजन्मा और अविनाशीस्वरूप होते हुए भी तथा समस्त प्राणियोंका ईश्वर होते हुए भी अपनी प्रकृतिको अधीन करके अपनी योगमायासे प्रकट होता हूं
arjuna uvāca — ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san | prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā ||
Arjuna said: Though You are unborn and of imperishable essence, and though You are the Lord of all beings, You still manifest by taking command of Your own primordial nature—appearing through Your own divine power. The ethical point is that the Lord’s embodiment is not compelled by karma like ordinary births; it is a purposeful self-manifestation for the protection of dharma and the guidance of beings.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Lord is unborn and imperishable, yet He manifests by His own will through His own power (ātma-māyā), presiding over His prakṛti. Divine appearance is not forced by karma; it is a sovereign, purposeful manifestation connected with sustaining dharma.
Arjuna, hearing that the Lord has had many manifestations, seeks to understand how the Lord can be ‘born’ at all. This verse frames the explanation: the Lord’s ‘birth’ is a self-manifestation under His control, unlike ordinary beings who take birth under the compulsion of karma and nature.