Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 2

Chapter 4 – Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

एवं परम्पराप्राप्तमिमं राजर्षयो विदुः ।
स कालेनेह महता योगो नष्टः परन्तप ॥

Transliteration

evaṃ paramparāprāptamimaṃ rājarṣayo viduḥ .
sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa ॥

Meaning

Thus handed down in succession, this Yoga was known to the royal sages. But through the long passage of time, O scorcher of foes, it was lost to the world.

Word meanings

एवम् – thus
परम्पराप्राप्तम् – received through succession, handed down from teacher to disciple
इमम् – this (Yoga)
राजर्षयः – the royal sages — kings who were also seers
विदुः – knew
सः – that
कालेन – by time
इह – here, in this world
महता – by a long (lapse)
योगः – Yoga
नष्टः – was lost, decayed
परन्तप – O scorcher of foes (Arjuna)

Anvaya (word order)

परन्तप, एवं परम्पराप्राप्तम् इमं (योगं) राजर्षयः विदुः । सः योगः इह महता कालेन नष्टः ।

Explanation

Having traced the lineage of this Yoga, Krishna now says who preserved it and how it was lost. ‘Rajarshayo viduh’ — the royal sages knew it. A rajarshi is one who bears the burden of kingship while possessing the inner poise of a seer; King Janaka is the classic example. This tells us that the Yoga of the Gita is not a path of escape from life but a way of being free while fully engaged in the duties of the world.

‘Parampara-praptam’ — received through succession — points to the very heart of the Indian way of transmitting wisdom. Spiritual knowledge passes not merely through books but from a living teacher to a living disciple. When the chain is broken, the words may survive, but their living meaning fades.

‘By the long passage of time this Yoga was lost.’ Shankara clarifies that the knowledge itself cannot perish, for it is eternal; what perishes is the tradition, when the teaching falls into the hands of the weak and the uncontrolled, who are not fit to receive it. Ramanuja likewise notes that through unworthy hearers its true form became obscured.

The address ‘Parantapa’, scorcher of foes, is apt here. It is as if Krishna were saying: just as you conquer enemies outside, so to hold this wisdom you must conquer the enemies within — desire, anger and greed. Only such a qualified seeker can revive a lineage that time has broken.

Context

In 4.1 Krishna said He gave this Yoga to the Sun, from whom it reached Manu and Ikshvaku. Here He says the royal sages knew it, but it was lost over time. In the next verse (4.3) He declares that He has now taught this same ancient Yoga to Arjuna.

Life lesson

Even priceless wisdom is lost if it does not rest in worthy hands. We must not only receive good knowledge but become fit vessels for it, so that we can pass it on, alive, to those who come after us.

Key terms

Parampara: unbroken succession of teacher and disciple
Rajarshi: a royal sage; a king who is also a knower of the Self
Parantapa: scorcher of foes — an epithet of Arjuna