श्रीभगवानुवाच |
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् |
विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत् || 1||
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam
vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣhvākave ’bravīt
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Lord Shree Krishna said; imam—this; vivasvate—to the Sun God; yogam—the science of Yog; proktavān—taught; aham—I; avyayam—eternal; vivasvān—Sun God; manave—to Manu, the original progenitor of humankind; prāha—told; manuḥ—Manu; ikṣhvākave—to Ikshvaku, first king of the Solar dynasty; abravīt—instructed
Translation:
The Blessed Lord said: This imperishable Yoga of action (and the wisdom arising from it) I taught to Vivasvan (the Sun) at the beginning of creation. Vivasvan taught it to his son Manu, and Manu to his son Ikshvaku.
Commentary:
The Lord at first taught the secret of `nishkama karma’ to the Sun, and through him, the Emperor – saints learned it. By the power of this Yoga, the mind is purified and the Self is realised. All those who practised this Yoga became sages and attained freedom and perfection. Though they may belong to different strata of society, rich or poor, all of them attained the highest reward of truth and perfection.
Imperishable: The yoga is imperishable, because as long as the universe lasts, work in some form or other has to be done, and desireless work is the direct road leading to Moksha. At all times, under all circumstances, desireless action is the law of spiritual life, and out of it arises knowledge of the Self. So the Yoga is imperishable. As long as mankind exists, this law holds good as the direct path to emancipation.
Question: What is the merit of ‘nishkama Karma’?
Answer: It is imperishable and yields the highest point of liberation.
Question: How did it spread in the world?
Answer: The Lord taught it to Vivasvan(the Sun) at the beginning of creation and Vivasvan taught it to Manu and Manu to Ikshvaku.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 4 🔻 (42 Verses)
