Bhagavad Geeta 4.1

📜 Sanskrit (Shloka 4.1) श्रीभगवानुवाच इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् | विवस्वान् मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत् ||

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

🌍 English Translation The Blessed Lord said: I taught this eternal science of yoga to Vivasvan (the sun god); Vivasvan taught it to Manu (the father of mankind), and Manu taught it to Ikshvaku.

🧠 Explanation This verse marks the beginning of Chapter 4 – Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga (The Path of Knowledge and the Disciplines of Action).

Krishna tells Arjuna that the yoga of selfless action (Karma Yoga) is not new.

It was first given to Vivasvan (Sun God), who passed it to Manu, the progenitor of mankind.

Manu then passed it to Ikshvaku, the ancestor of the solar dynasty of kings (Suryavansha), to which Lord Rama also belonged.

✅ The key idea here: This divine knowledge is ancient, timeless, and has been preserved through a lineage of sages and kings before being forgotten. Krishna is about to reestablish it for Arjuna — and the world.