Chapter 4, Verse 2 (Bhagavad Gita 4.2)
Chapter 4: Jñāna Karm Sanyās Yog – Path of Knowledge and the Disciplines of Action
Sanskrit Shloka
एवं परम्पराप्राप्तमिमं राजर्षयो विदुः। स कालेनेह महता योगो नष्टः परन्तप
Transliteration
evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣhayo viduḥ sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣhṭaḥ parantapa
Word Meanings
evam—thus; paramparā—in a continuous tradition; prāptam—received; imam—this (science); rāja-ṛiṣhayaḥ—the saintly kings; viduḥ—understood; saḥ—that; kālena—with the long passage of time; iha—in this world; mahatā—great; yogaḥ—the science of Yog; naṣhṭaḥ—lost; parantapa—Arjun, the scorcher of foes
Translation
This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time, the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse highlights the vulnerability of profound spiritual wisdom in the hands of time and human limitation. It teaches that truth is not something to be invented, but something to be received through a lineage of realized beings who have lived the practice. When the connection to this experiential 'lineage' is severed, knowledge calcifies into mere ritual or intellectual theory, losing its transformative power. On a psychological level, it reminds us that our highest potential remains dormant until we actively reconnect with the 'living' wisdom of the ancients. It is a call to seek genuine guidance rather than relying solely on our fragmented, ego-driven understanding of the world.