Bhagavad Gita
Jnana-karma-sannyasa-yoga (The Yoga of Divine Knowledge, Action and Renunciation)4.4
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Bhagavad Gita · 4.4
Devanāgarī

अर्जुन उवाच ।
अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः ।
कथमेतद्विजानीयां त्वमादौ प्रोक्तवानिति ॥

Transliteration (IAST)

arjuna uvāca |
aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ |
katham etad vijānīyāṁ tvam ādau proktavān iti ||

Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अर्जुनः उवाचarjunaḥ uvācaArjuna said
अपरम्aparamlater, recent
भवतःbhavataḥYour
जन्मjanmabirth
परम्paramearlier, ancient
जन्मjanmabirth
विवस्वतःvivasvataḥof Vivasvān
कथम्kathamhow?
एतत्etatthis
विजानीयाम्vijānīyāmI can understand, I should comprehend
त्वम्tvamYou
आदौādauin the beginning
प्रोक्तवान् इतिproktavān ititaught [this knowledge]
Translation

Arjuna said: “Your birth was recent, whereas the birth of Vivasvān was in the distant past. How, then, am I to understand that in the very beginning it was You who taught him this science?”

Version

8ca7ecfac7e6 · published Jul 2, 2026, 12:00:00 PM UTC

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