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Chapter IV42 verses

अथ चतुर्थोऽध्यायः

ज्ञानकर्मसंन्यासयोगः

Knowledge, Works and Renunciation

Jñāna-karma-saṁnyāsa-yoga

He who descends into our birth descends that we may ascend into his; know his birth and his works, and your own become free. — The Delight of Krishna

The soul enters in
yajña — every work laid upon the altar as an offering to the Lord of works
and is led towards
divyaṃ janma karma — the divine birth and the divine works, known in their truth
Begin at 4 · 1 Play chapter

Recitations

  1. Swami Sarvagananda ji0:00
  2. Ashit Desai0:00
In this chapter

42 verses

Summary of chapter 4

I. The Possibility and Purpose of Avatarhood (1-15)

The Divine Teacher, the Avatar, gives his own example, his own standard to Arjuna. In India the belief in the reality of the Avatar, the descent into form, the revelation of the Godhead in humanity, has grown up and persisted as a logical outcome of the Vedantic view of life and taken firm met in the consciousness of the race.

II. The Divine Worker (16-23)

Equality, impersonality, peace, joy and freedom -these are the signs which distinguish a divine worker; they are all profoundly subjective and do not depend on so outward a thing as doing or not doing works.

III. The Significance of Sacrifice (24-42)

The Gita brings out the inner meaning of the Vedic sacrifice, interpreting the secret symbolism of the ancient Vedic mystics.

Chapter 4 illustration, titled ज्ञानकर्मसंन्यासयोगः
Illustration · Sushanto Nath, Sri Aurobindo Society

Chapter outline

Choose a range to read just those verses.

  1. 4·1–5The divine origin of the Gita's eternal Yoga.
  2. 4·6–15The truth and purpose of Avatarhood. Shri Krishna's self-revelation, His divine birth and action.
  3. 4·16–23The secret of Karma and Yoga.
  4. 4·24–33Various forms of Sacrifice, the divine principle of it.
  5. 4·34–42Spiritual Knowledge, its great value.
  6. 4·1–42Show all 42 verses

The verses

Showing verses 1–5 of 42 · Show all 42 verses

Śrī Bhagavān uvācaश्रीभगवानुवाच

  1. 4·1इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् । विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavānahamavyayam, vivasvānmanave prāha manurikṣvākave’bravīt.This imperishable Yoga I gave to Vivasvan (the Sun-God), Vivasvan gave it to Manu (the father of men), Manu…
  2. 4·2एवं परम्पराप्राप्तमिमं राजर्षयो विदुः । स कालेनेह महता योगो नष्टः परंतप ॥ २ ॥evaṁ paramparāprāptamimaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ, sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ paraṁtapa.And so it came down from royal sage to royal sage till it was lost in the great lapse of Time, O Parantapa.
  3. 4·3स एवायं मया तेऽद्य योगः प्रोक्तः पुरातनः । भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम् ॥ ३ ॥sa evāyaṁ mayā te’dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ, bhakto’si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hyetaduttamam.This same ancient and original Yoga has been today declared to thee by Me, for thou art My devotee and My…

Arjuna uvācaअर्जुन उवाच

  1. 4·4अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः । कथमेतद्विजानीयां त्वमादौ प्रोक्तवानिति ॥ ४ ॥aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ, kathametadvijānīyāṁ tvamādau proktavāniti.The Sun-God was one of the first-born of beings (ancestor of the solar dynasty) and Thou art only now born…

Śrī Bhagavān uvācaश्रीभगवानुवाच

  1. 4·5बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन । तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परंतप ॥ ५ ॥bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava cārjuna, tānyahaṁ veda sarvāṇi na tvaṁ vettha paraṁtapa.Many are my lives that are past, and thine also, O Arjuna…
Show all 42 verses

End of the chapter

ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सुब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादेज्ञानकर्मसंन्यासयोगो नाम चतुर्थोऽध्यायः ॥ ४॥

om tatsaditi śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsubrahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvādejñānakarmasaṁnyāsayogo nāma caturtho’dhyāyaḥ

Thus, in the Upanishad sung by the Lord, the science of Brahman, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fourth chapter entitled “The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action”

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