Bhagavad Gita BG 4.1
Chapter 4, Verse 1 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् । विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत् ॥
imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave 'bravit
Meaning
I taught this imperishable yoga to Vivasvan (sun-god); Vivasvan taught it to Manu; and Manu told it to Ikshvaku.
Understanding
Krishna opens with a stunning claim: this teaching is not new. It began at the dawn of creation with the sun-god Vivasvan, descended to the progenitor of humanity Manu, then to King Ikshvaku — founder of the solar dynasty. The word avyaya (imperishable) signals that the yoga itself never decays, only its transmission does when lineages break.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| इमम् | imam | this (yoga) |
| विवस्वते | vivasvate | to Vivasvan (sun-god) |
| योगम् | yogam | yoga, path of union |
| प्रोक्तवान् | proktavan | I proclaimed, taught |
| अव्ययम् | avyayam | imperishable, undecaying |
| विवस्वान् | vivasvan | Vivasvan — the sun god |
| मनवे | manave | to Manu (dative — the progenitor of mankind) |
| प्राह | prāha | told / declared (Vivasvan to Manu) |
| मनुः | manuḥ | Manu (the progenitor) |
| इक्ष्वाकवे | ikṣvākave | to Ikshvaku (dative — the king of solar dynasty) |
| अब्रवीत् | abravīt | spoke / told (Manu to Ikshvaku) |