Bhagavad Gita BG 4.5
Chapter 4, Verse 5 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन । तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप ॥
bahuni me vyatitani janmani tava carjuna tany aham veda sarvani na tvam vettha parantapa
Meaning
Many of My births have passed, and yours too, O Arjuna. I know them all; you do not know them, O scorcher of foes.
Understanding
The first distinction between divine and human: both have had many births (indicating both Krishna and Arjuna are eternal), but Krishna knows all of them (veda sarvani) while Arjuna does not. This is not a difference of essence but of knowledge. The key: the Atman in both is the same eternal being; the difference is veiling. Krishna's divine consciousness is not veiled by births.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| बहूनि | bahuni | many |
| व्यतीतानि | vyatitani | have passed, gone by |
| जन्मानि | janmani | births |
| वेद | veda | I know (vedic form, not the scripture) |
| सर्वाणि | sarvani | all of them |
| मे | me | My (many births) |
| तव | tava | your (many births too) |
| च | ca | and / also |
| अर्जुन | arjuna | O Arjuna |
| तानि | tāni | those (births) |
| अहम् | aham | I |
| न | na | not (you do not know) |
| त्वम् | tvam | you |
| वेत्थ | vettha | know (2nd-person singular of vid) |
| परन्तप | parantapa | O scorcher of enemies (Arjuna) |