Bhagavad Gita BG 4.2
Chapter 4, Verse 2 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
एवं परम्पराप्राप्तम् इमं राजर्षयो विदुः । स कालेनेह महता योगो नष्टः परन्तप ॥
evam parampara-praptam imam rajarshayo viduh sa kaleneha mahata yogo nashtah parantapa
Meaning
Through this successive tradition, the royal sages knew this yoga. But by the great passage of time, this yoga was lost here in this world, O destroyer of enemies.
Understanding
Spiritual knowledge is not self-sustaining — it requires living transmission. Over vast cycles of time the parampara (lineage) broke, and the yoga was lost. This is not a failure of truth but of its custodians. Krishna teaching Arjuna is itself a restoration of a broken lineage.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| परम्परा | parampara | succession, lineage, tradition |
| राजर्षयः | rajarshayah | royal sages (rishis who were kings) |
| नष्टः | nashtah | lost, destroyed, broken |
| महता कालेन | mahata kalena | by the great passage of time |
| परन्तप | parantapa | O destroyer of foes (Arjuna) |
| एवम् | evam | thus / in this way |
| प्राप्तम् | prāptam | received / obtained (through succession) |
| इमम् | imam | this (yoga) |
| विदुः | viduḥ | knew / understood (the royal sages) |
| सः | saḥ | that (yoga) |
| योगः | yogaḥ | the yoga / this knowledge |
| इह | iha | here / in this world |