Topic

Lineage

2 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on lineage. Explore teachings across 1 chapter.

All Verses

Chapter 4 • Verse 1 →The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation
Sri bhagavan uvaca: Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam, vivasvan manave praha manur ikshvakave 'bravit

Krishna reveals that He first taught this imperishable yoga to the sun-god Vivasvan, who passed it to Manu, who in turn taught it to Ikshvaku. This eternal science was handed down through the royal sages.

  • •Yoga is an ancient, imperishable science
  • •Divine wisdom is transmitted through lineages of teacher and student
  • •The Gita's teachings are not new — they are the eternal dharma
ancient traditioneternal wisdomtransmissionparampara
Chapter 4 • Verse 2 →The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation
Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh, sa kaleneha mahata yogo nashtah parantapa

This supreme science was received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in this way. But over the course of time the succession was broken and the science appears to have been lost.

  • •Wisdom can be lost when the teacher-student chain breaks
  • •Preservation of sacred knowledge requires living transmission
  • •Time and negligence erode even the most profound teachings
paramparawisdompreservationtime