श्रीभगवानुवाच ।इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् ।विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत् ॥
śrībhagavān uvāca |imaṃ vivasvate yogaṃ proktavān aham avyayam |vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt ||
- श्रीभगवान् · śrībhagavān
- the Blessed Lord
- उवाच · uvāca
- said
- इमम् · imam
- this
- विवस्वते · vivasvate
- to Vivasvan (the sun-god)
- योगम् · yogam
- the yoga, teaching
- प्रोक्तवान् · proktavān
- taught, declared
- अहम् · aham
- I
- अव्ययम् · avyayam
- imperishable
- मनवे · manave
- to Manu
- प्राह · prāha
- told
- मनुः · manuḥ
- Manu
- इक्ष्वाकवे · ikṣvākave
- to Ikshvaku
- अब्रवीत् · abravīt
- spoke, told
“The Blessed Lord said: This imperishable yoga I taught to Vivasvan; Vivasvan told it to Manu, and Manu told it to Ikshvaku.”
— Original plain-language translation
The teaching claims royal antiquity: passed from the sun-god through Manu to the solar dynasty of kings. Krishna roots karma-yoga in a lineage of rulers, fitting for Arjuna the prince. What sounds new is in fact primordial.
— Reader's notes (original)