Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 1
भगवद् गीता अध्याय 4 श्लोक 1

श्री भगवानुवाच
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम्।
विवस्वान् मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत्।।4.1।।



हिंदी अनुवाद - स्वामी रामसुख दास जी ( भगवद् गीता 4.1)
।।4.1।।श्रीभगवान् बोले  मैंने इस अविनाशी योगको सूर्यसे कहा था। फिर सूर्यने (अपने पुत्र) वैवस्वत मनुसे कहा और मनुने (अपने पुत्र) राजा इक्ष्वाकुसे कहा।


Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

Here Lord Krishna is  praising  karma  yoga  or  the  performance  of  Vedic
activities by explaining that He,  Himself  previously  had  instructed  the
eternal knowledge of yoga or the science  of  the  individual  consciousness
attaining communion with the Ultimate Consciousness.  The Supreme  Lord  did
this in order to illustrate the appearance and disappearance  of  an  avatar
or incarnation and to discern  between  Thou  referring  to  the  individual
consciousness and That referring to the  Ultimate  Consciousness,  following
the great Vedic dictum of Thou art That. In chapter two and three  the  path
of jnana yoga or the cultivation of Vedic knowledge through  the  medium  of
karma yoga has been established as the means to  moksa  or  liberation  from
the cycle of birth  and  death  in  the  material  existence.  In  order  to
elaborate further by the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures  which  give  a
vision for the mind to imagine when performing yagna or Vedic  worship  like
Brahman is the ladle to pour the ghee and Agni is the fire  to  receive  it.
The Supreme Lord is praising  this yoga and explaining in this  first  verse
how He instructed it  and  in  the  next  two  he  shows  that  that  it  is
confidentially instructed under the auspices  of   parampara  or  authorised
disciplic succession.


Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary
There is no commentary for this verse.


Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary


In the third chapter Lord Krishna explained that  only  karma  yoga  or  the
performance  of  prescribed  Vedic   activities   was   suitable   for   the
materialistic person aspiring for moksa or  liberation  from  the  cycle  of
birth and death and that such an aspirant was not competent  to  follow  the
path of jnana yoga or the cultivation  of  Vedic  knowledge.   It  was  also
shown that even for jnana yoga practitioners that karma yoga when  performed
as a matter of duty  without  attachment  was  preferable.  It  was  further
illustrated that for leaders of prominence in society  it  is  an  important
necessity to perform karma yoga in order  that  the  public  is  guided  and
inspired in a righteous manner. The objective of this fourth chapter  is  to
further emphasise the worthiness of karma yoga by giving  evidence  that  it
was taught to great personalities at the  beginning  of  this  Manavatar  or
cyclic appearance of one type of divine incarnations as  verified  in  Vedic
scriptures over a period of time comprising approximately every 350  million
years. Also it will be shown in this chapter how karma yoga partakes of  the
nature of jnana yoga  by  reason  of  spiritual  intentions  underlying  all
prescribed Vedic activities. Chapter four  finishes  up  by  explaining  the
nature  and  varieties  of  karma  yoga  and  the  importance  of  spiritual
awareness connected to performing every action.


Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary
In the third chapter Lord Krishna explained that  only  karma  yoga  or  the
performance  of  prescribed  Vedic   activities   was   suitable   for   the
materialistic person aspiring for moksa or  liberation  from  the  cycle  of
birth and death and that such an aspirant was not competent  to  follow  the
path of jnana yoga or the cultivation  of  Vedic  knowledge.   It  was  also
shown that even for jnana yoga practitioners that karma yoga when  performed
as a matter of duty  without  attachment  was  preferable.  It  was  further
illustrated that for leaders of prominence in society  it  is  an  important
necessity to perform karma yoga in order  that  the  public  is  guided  and
inspired in a righteous manner. The objective of this fourth chapter  is  to
further emphasise the worthiness of karma yoga by giving  evidence  that  it
was taught to great personalities at the  beginning  of  this  Manavatar  or
cyclic appearance of one type of divine incarnations as  verified  in  Vedic
scriptures over a period of time comprising approximately every 350  million
years. Also it will be shown in this chapter how karma yoga partakes of  the
nature of jnana yoga  by  reason  of  spiritual  intentions  underlying  all
prescribed Vedic activities. Chapter four  finishes  up  by  explaining  the
nature  and  varieties  of  karma  yoga  and  the  importance  of  spiritual
awareness connected to performing every action.