स एवायं मया तेऽद्य योग: प्रोक्त: पुरातन: |
भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम् || 3||
sa evāyaṁ mayā te ’dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ
bhakto ’si me sakhā cheti rahasyaṁ hyetad uttamam
saḥ—that; eva—certainly; ayam—this; mayā—by me; te—unto you; adya—today; yogaḥ—the science of Yog; proktaḥ—reveal; purātanaḥ—ancient; bhaktaḥ—devotee; asi—you are; me—my; sakhā—friend; cha—and; iti—therefore; rahasyam—secret; hi—certainly; etat—this; uttamam—supreme
Translation:
This same ancient Yoga has now been taught by Me, for you are My devotee and friend. It is indeed the supreme secret.
Commentary:
The spiritual path of Karma Yoga is not a new invention. It is an ancient path. But owing to the change of times, it was covered up and neglected for some time. But it is imperishable. When spiritual Dharma suffers decline, the Lord incarnates Himself to re-establish it. Great spiritual men like Sankara and others come into the world to reclaim the declining Dharma and re-establish it in the world. This same ancient knowledge is now taught to Arjuna by Lord Krishna.
Why should the Lord choose Arjuna only to be the recipient of this knowledge? This is answered by this verse. Arjuna was a devotee and a friend of the Lord. Therefore this supreme secret was revealed to him. Whoever loves the Lord is His friend and devotee. On him, the Lord bestows supreme knowledge.
So one should acquire the faith and devotion of Arjuna, and to such a man the Lord Himself offers all the secrets of spiritual knowledge. The Lord has no attachment of friend or foe. Whoever loves Him receives His love and compassion. Arjuna’s faith in the Lord has won for him a place in the heart of Krishna, and hence the divine message was offered to him.
Best secret: The spiritual path of `nishkama karma’ is not only a secret but a royal path to knowledge. Such a precious secret cannot be thrown away carelessly on indifferent people who can neither understand it nor wish to practise it. The right man should be chosen to communicate the suet of perfection. Arjuna was the right man because he had devotion and love for the Lord.
Question: What is the excellence of Karma Yoga?
Answer: It is the ancient path of wisdom; it is the supreme secret.
Question: Why did the Lord teach it to Arjuna?
Answer: Because Arjuna was the devotee and friend of the Lord.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 4 🔻 (42 Verses)
