Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 4, Verse 3
स एवायं मया तेऽद्य योगः प्रोक्तः पुरातनः।
भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम्।।
भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम्।।
sa evāyaṁ mayā te ’dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ
bhakto ’si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hyetad uttamam
also searched as "sa evayam maya te adya yogah proktah puratanah"
Translation
It is the same ancient Yoga that I am now teaching you, for you are My devotee and My friend. For, this is a supreme mystery.
Vāṇi's rendering
An ancient secret, now told to you — because you are my devotee and my friend.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सःsa | that |
| एवeva | the very same (joined with the next word by sandhi) |
| अयम्ayam | this |
| मयाmayā | by me |
| तेte | to you |
| अद्यadya | today, now (its initial vowel elided after te) |
| योगःyogaḥ | the yoga, the way of union |
| प्रोक्तःproktaḥ | spoken, declared |
| पुरातनःpurātanaḥ | ancient, from long ago |
| भक्तःbhaktaḥ | devoted one, lover |
| असिasi | you are (its initial vowel elided after bhakto) |
| मेme | my, of mine |
| सखाsakhā | friend, companion |
| चca | and |
| इतिiti | thus, so (joined with ca as ceti) |
| रहस्यम्rahasyam | secret, what is held close |
| हिhi | indeed, for |
| एतत्etat | this (joined with hi as hyetad) |
| उत्तमम्uttamam | highest, supreme |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 Verse 3 mean?
Krishna tells Arjuna that the yoga he has just heard is not new — it is the ancient teaching, given now because Arjuna is his devotee and his friend. The qualification is relationship, not merit. And it is called a secret not because it is withheld, but because closeness is what makes it audible.
What does sa evayam maya te adya yogah proktah puratanah mean?
It means: this very same ancient yoga has been declared to you by me today. Krishna is placing the teaching in a long line — nothing invented for the crisis on the field. What Arjuna hears in his worst hour is what the ṛṣis and kings heard, arriving intact.
Why does Krishna call this teaching a secret?
Rahasya does not mean hidden information. It means what cannot pass between strangers. The words of the Gītā are public; their weight is not. Spoken to someone at a distance, they sound like philosophy. Spoken to a devotee and friend, they land as instruction. The secrecy lives in the hearer.
What makes someone ready to receive this knowledge?
Krishna names two things, and neither is achievement. Bhakta — you love him. Sakhā — you are at ease with him. Arjuna had not purified himself or completed a discipline; he was collapsing. What he had was nearness. If you are asking the question, you are already closer than you think.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna gives the reason, and it is not merit. Not austerity, not scholarship, not lineage — Arjuna receives the oldest teaching because he is loved and because he loves back. Devotee and friend, in one breath: the one who bows, and the one who jokes on the chariot ride. Both. A secret is not kept from you by locks; it is kept by distance. Close the distance and there is nothing left to hide. Notice that Arjuna never asked for this teaching and did nothing to earn it. He was simply near. Stay near, and what you need will be said.