Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 1

श्रीभगवानुवाच । इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् । विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत्

śrībhagavānuvāca | imaṃ vivasvate yogaṃ proktavānahamavyayam | vivasvānmanave prāha manurikṣvākave'bravīt

Translation

I taught this imperishable Yoga to Vivasvat; Vivasvat taught it to Manu; Manu taught it to Ikṣvāku.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

imam

this

vivasvate

to Vivasvān

yogam

yoga

proktavān

spoke

aham

I

avyayam

imperishable

vivasvān

Vivasvān

manave

to Manu

prāha

said

manuḥ

Manu

ikṣvākave

to Ikṣvāku

abravīt

spake

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

This Yoga, treated of in the two preceding Discourses, I taught to the Sun (Vivasvat) at the commencement of Evolution in order to infuse strength into the kṣatriyas, the rulers of the world. It is only when possessed of the strength of this Yoga that they can protect the brāhmaṇas, the spiritual class. And when the spiritual and ruling classes are well maintained, it is possible to maintain the world. That Yoga is imperishable, because of its imperishable results. Indeed, mokṣa, the fruit of this Yoga of complete devotion to right knowledge, never perishes. Vivasvat taught it to Manu; and Manu taught it to his son Ikṣvāku the first ruler.