अर्जुन उवाच | अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः | कथमेतद्विजानीयां त्वमादौ प्रोक्तवानिति ||४-४||
arjuna uvāca . aparaṃ bhavato janma paraṃ janma vivasvataḥ . kathametadvijānīyāṃ tvamādau proktavāniti ||4-4||
Chapter 4 · Verse 4
Jnana Yoga
ज्ञानयोग
In plain words
You are encouraged to ask honest questions when your limited human intellect struggles to understand the eternal divine. It is natural to wonder how the infinite can exist within time. To overcome maya, the illusion that keeps you seeing only the physical world, you must seek deeper wisdom with an open mind.
Translation
4.4 Arjuna said Later was your birth, and earlier the birth of Vivasvan. How then am I to understand that you taught it in the beginning?
Meaning
Thy birth took place later in the hourse of Vasudeva Vivasvan or Vivasvat (the Sun) was born earlier in the beginning of evolution. How am I to believe that Thou taughtest this Yoga in the beginning to Vivasvan and that Thou the selfsame person hast now taught it to me I am not able to reconcile this. Be kind enought to enlighten me. O my Lord.
Word by word
अपरम् later भवतः Thy जन्म birth परम् prior जन्म birth विवस्वतः of Vivasvan कथम् how एतत् this विजानीयाम् am I to understand त्वम् Thou आदौ in the beginning प्रोक्तवान् taughtest इत thus.