Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 1 — Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga
Sanskrit
श्रीभगवानुवाच | इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् | विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत् ||४-१||
Transliteration
śrībhagavānuvāca . imaṃ vivasvate yogaṃ proktavānahamavyayam . vivasvānmanave prāha manurikṣvākave.abravīt ||4-1||
Hindi Meaning
।।4.1।। श्रीभगवान् ने कहा --- मैंने इस अविनाशी योग को विवस्वान् (सूर्य देवता) से कहा (सिखाया); विवस्वान् ने मनु से कहा; मनु ने इक्ष्वाकु से कहा।।
English Meaning
The Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.
Commentary
Herein we find the history of the Bhagavad-gītā traced from a remote time when it was delivered to the royal order of all planets, beginning from the sun planet. The kings of all planets are especially meant for the protection of the inhabitants, and therefore the royal order should understand the science of Bhagavad-gītā in order to be able to rule the citizens and protect them from material bondage to lust. Human life is meant for cultivation of spiritual knowledge, in eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the executive heads of all states and all planets are obliged to impart this lesson to the citizens by education, culture and devotion. In other words, the executive heads of all states are intended to spread the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that the people may take advantage of this great science and pursue a successful path, utilizing the opportunity of the human form of life. In this millennium, the sun-god is known as Vivasvān, the king of the sun, which is the origin of all planets within the solar system. In the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.52) it is stated: yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi “Let me worship,” Lord Brahmā said, “the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kṛṣṇa], who is the original person and under whose order the sun, which is the king of all planets, is assuming immense power and heat. The sun represents the eye of the Lord and traverses its orbit in obedience to His order.” The sun is the king of the planets, and the sun-god (at present of the name Vivasvān) rules the sun planet, which is controlling all other planets by supplying heat and light. He is rotating under the order of Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Kṛṣṇa originally made Vivasvān His first disciple to understand the science of Bhagavad-gītā . The Gītā is not, therefore, a speculative treatise for the insignificant mundane scholar but is a standard book of knowledge coming down from time immemorial. In the Mahābhārata ( Śānti-parva 348.51–52) we can trace out the history of the Gītā as follows: tretā-yugādau ca tato vivasvān manave dadau manuś ca loka-bhṛty-arthaṁ sutāyekṣvākave dadau ikṣvākuṇā ca kathito vyāpya lokān avasthitaḥ “In the beginning of the millennium known as Tretā-yuga this science of the relationship with the Supreme was delivered by Vivasvān to Manu. Manu, being the father of mankind, gave it to his son Mahārāja Ikṣvāku, the king of this earth planet and forefather of the Raghu dynasty, in which Lord Rāmacandra appeared.” Therefore, Bhagavad-gītā existed in human society from the time of Mahārāja Ikṣvāku. At the present moment we have just passed through five thousand years of the Kali-yuga, which lasts 432,000 years. Before this there was Dvāpara-yuga (800,000 years), and before that there was Tretā-yuga (1,200,000 years). Thus, some 2,005,000 years ago, Manu spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to his disciple and son Mahārāja Ikṣvāku, the king of this planet earth. The age of the current Manu is calculated to last some 305,300,000 years, of which 120,400,000 have passed. Accepting that before the birth of Manu the Gītā was spoken by the Lord to His disciple the sun-god Vivasvān, a rough estimate is that the Gītā was spoken at least 120,400,000 years ago; and in human society it has been extant for two million years. It was respoken by the Lord again to Arjuna about five thousand years ago. That is the rough estimate of the history of the Gītā, according to the Gītā itself and according to the version of the speaker, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It was spoken to the sun-god Vivasvān because he is also a kṣatriya and is the father of all kṣatriyas who are descendants of the sun-god, or the sūrya-vaṁśa kṣatriyas. Because Bhagavad-gītā is as good as the Vedas, being spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this knowledge is apauruṣeya, superhuman. Since the Vedic instructions are accepted as they are, without human interpretation, the Gītā must therefore be accepted without mundane interpretation. The mundane wranglers may speculate on the Gītā in their own ways, but that is not Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Therefore, Bhagavad-gītā has to be accepted as it is, from the disciplic succession, and it is described herein that the Lord spoke to the sun-god, the sun-god spoke to his son Manu, and Manu spoke to his son Ikṣvāku.
Hinglish Commentary
Yahan hum Bhagavad-gītā ki kahani ko ek purani samay se dekhte hain jab ye sabhi grah ke rajaon ko di gayi thi, shuruaat surya grah se hoti hai. Sabhi grahon ke rajaon ka kaam hai apne logon ki raksha karna, isliye unhe Bhagavad-gītā ka gyaan samajhna zaroori hai taaki wo apne nagriko ko bhog aur kaamna se mukt rakh sakein. Insani zindagi ka maqsad hai aatma gyaan ka vikas karna, jo ki Paramatma ke saath ek anant sambandh hai, aur sabhi rajyon ke pramukh ko ye seekh apne nagriko tak pahunchaani chahiye, shiksha, sanskriti aur bhakti ke zariye. Matlab ye hai ki rajya ke pramukh ko Krishna ki chetna ka gyaan failana hai taaki log is mahan gyaan ka fayda utha sakein aur apni zindagi ka sahi rasta chunein. Is yug mein, surya-dev ka naam Vivasvān hai, jo sabhi grahon ka raja hai. Brahma-saṁhitā mein kaha gaya hai ki surya prabhu ki aankh hai aur wo apne kram mein Krishna ke adesh par chalta hai. Surya sabhi grahon ka raja hai aur Vivasvān surya grah ko niyantrit karta hai, sabhi grahon ko garmi aur roshni dekar. Vivasvān ko Krishna ne pehla shishya banaya tha taaki wo Bhagavad-gītā ka gyaan samajh sake. Gītā sirf ek samanya gyaan nahi hai, balki ye ek mahatvapurn gyaan ka granth hai jo samay ke saath chala aa raha hai. Mahābhārata mein Gītā ki kahani ko aise bataya gaya hai ki Tretā-yuga ke shuruaat mein Vivasvān ne ye gyaan Manu ko diya, jo insaaniyat ke pita hain, aur Manu ne apne putra Mahārāja Ikṣvāku ko diya, jo ki is dharti ke raja hain aur Raghu vansh ke purvaj hain, jisme Lord Rāmacandra aaye the. Isliye, Bhagavad-gītā Mahārāja Ikṣvāku ke samay se insani samaj mein maujood hai. Aaj hum Kali-yuga mein hain, jo 432,000 saal tak chalega, aur isse pehle Dvāpara-yuga (800,000 saal) aur Tretā-yuga (1,200,000 saal) tha. Lagbhag 2,005,000 saal pehle, Manu ne apne shishya Mahārāja Ikṣvāku ko Bhagavad-gītā sunaayi thi. Aaj ke Manu ka kaal 305,300,000 saal tak chalega, jisme se 120,400,000 saal guzar chuke hain. Agar hum maan lein ki Manu se pehle ye gyaan surya-dev Vivasvān ko diya gaya tha, toh ye keh sakte hain ki Gītā lagbhag 120,400,000 saal pehle kahi gayi thi; aur insani samaj mein ye do million saal se hai. Ye phir se Lord ne Arjuna ko lagbhag paanch hazaar saal pehle sunaayi thi. Ye hai Gītā ki kahani ka ek andaza, jo ki Gītā ke apne shabdon aur Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa ke vachan ke anusar hai. Ye Vivasvān ko isliye sunaayi gayi kyunki wo bhi ek kṣatriya hain aur sabhi kṣatriyon ke pita hain jo surya-dev ke vanshaj hain. Bhagavad-gītā Vedas ki tarah hi mahatvapurn hai, kyunki ye Bhagwan ke dwara kahi gayi hai, isliye ye gyaan apauruṣeya hai, yani ki manushya se pare. Vedic nirdeshon ko bina kisi manushya vyakhya ke maana jaata hai, isliye Gītā ko bhi bina kisi samanya vyakhya ke maana jaana chahiye. Log Gītā par apne tareeke se soch-vichar kar sakte hain, lekin wo asli Bhagavad-gītā nahi hai. Isliye, Bhagavad-gītā ko usi tarike se maana jaana chahiye, jo guru-parampara se aata hai, aur yahan ye bataya gaya hai ki Bhagwan ne surya-dev se, surya-dev ne Manu se aur Manu ne Ikṣvāku se ye gyaan diya.
Chinmaya Commentary
जैसा कि इस अध्याय की प्रस्तावना में कहा गया है भगवान् यहाँ स्पष्ट करते हैं कि अब तक उनके द्वारा दिया गया उपदेश नवीन न होकर सनातन वेदों में प्रतिपादित ज्ञान की ही पुर्नव्याख्या है। स्वस्वरूप की स्मृति से स्फूर्त होकर भगवान् घोषणा करते हैं कि उन्होंने ही सृष्टि के प्रारम्भ में इस ज्ञान का उपदेश सूर्य देवता विवस्वान् को दिया था। विवस्वान् ने अपने पुत्र मनु जो भारत के प्राचीन स्मृतिकार हुए को यह ज्ञान सिखाया। मनु ने इसका उपदेश राजा इक्ष्वाकु को दिया जो सूर्यवंश के पूर्वज थे। इस वंश के राजाओं ने दीर्घकाल तक अयोध्या पर शासन किया।वेद शब्द संस्कृत के विद् धातु से बना है जिसका अर्थ है जानना। अत वेद का अर्थ है ज्ञान अथवा ज्ञान का साधन प्रमाण । वेदों का प्रतिपाद्य विषय है जीव के शुद्ध ज्ञान स्वरूप तथा उसकी अभिव्यक्ति के साधनों का बोध।जैसे हम विद्युत् को नित्य कह सकते हैं क्योंकि उसके प्रथम बार आविष्कृत होने के पूर्व भी वह थी और यदि हमें उसका विस्मरण भी हो जाता है तब भी विद्युत् शक्ति का अस्तित्व बना रहेगा इसी प्रकार हमारे नहीं जानने से दिव्य चैतन्य स्वरूप आत्मा का नाश नहीं होता। इस अविनाशी आत्मा का ज्ञान वास्तव में अव्यय है।आधुनिक विज्ञान भी यह स्वीकार करता है कि विश्व का निर्माण सूर्य के साथ प्रारम्भ होना चाहिये। शक्ति के स्रोत के रूप में सर्वप्रथम सूर्य की उत्पत्ति हुई और उसकी उत्पत्ति के साथ ही यह महान् आत्मज्ञान विश्व को दिया गया।वेदों का विषय आत्मानुभूति होने के कारण वाणी उसका वर्णन करने में सर्वथा असमर्थ है। कोई भी गम्भीर अनुभव शब्दों के द्वारा व्यक्त नहीं किया जा सकता। अत स्वयं की बुद्धि से ही शास्त्रों का अध्ययन करने से उनका सम्यक् ज्ञान तो दूर रहा विपरीत ज्ञान होने की ही सम्भावना अधिक रहती है। इसलिये भारत में यह प्राचीन परम्परा रही है कि अध्यात्म ज्ञान के उपदेश को आत्मानुभव में स्थित गुरु के मुख से ही श्रवण किया जाता है। गुरुशिष्य परम्परा से यह ज्ञान दिया जाता रहा है। यहाँ इस ब्रह्मविद्या के पूर्वकाल के विद्यार्थियों का परिचय कराया गया है।