Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 4 - The Yoga of Wisdom

In the Bhagavad Gita - Text and Commentary by Sri Sivananda (Sivananda Press Durban SA) Chapter 4 is The Yoga of Wisdom. (Reference of transliteration is also taken from Bhagavan Sri Krishna) Chapter 4 commences with:

Lord Krishna declares that He is born from age to age, in order to raise mand and take him to the Supreme. Whenever there is a prevalence of unrighteousness and the world is ruled by the forces of darkness, the Lord manifests Himself to destroy these adverse forces and to establish peace, order and harmony. Hence we see the appearance of the great saviours of the world.

What is Yoga in action? This the Lord proceeds to explain to Arjuna. Even though one is not engaged in action, but if the mind is active with the idea of doership and egoism, then it is action in inaction. On the other hand, though engaged physically in intense action, if the idea of agency is absent, if one feels that Prakriti does everything, it is inaction in action. The liberated man is free from attachment and is always calm and serene though engaged in ceaseless action. He is unaffected by the pairs of opposites like joy and grief, success and failure.

One who has true union with the Lord is not subject to rebirth. He attains immortality. Such a union can only be achieved when one is free from attachment, fear and anger, being thorouhghly purified by right knowledge. The Lord accepts the devotion of all, whatever path they may use to approach Him.

4.1- sri-bhagavan uvacaimam vivasvate yogamproktavan aham avyayamvivasvan manave prahamanur iksvakave ’bravit- "The Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikshavaku."

4.2- evam parampara-praptamimam rajarsayo viduhsa kaleneha mahatayogo nastah parantapa- "This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost."

4.3- sa evayam maya te ’dyayogah proktah puratanahbhakto ’si me sakha cetirahasyam hy etad uttamam - "That same ancient Yoga has been today taught by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; it is a supreme secret."

4.4- arjuna uvacaaparam bhavato janmaparam janma vivasvatahkatham etad vijaniyamtvam adau proktavan iti - "Arjuna said: The sun-god Vivasvan is senior by birth to You. How am I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?"

4.5- sri-bhagavan uvacabahuni me vyatitanijanmani tava carjunatany aham veda sarvanina tvam vettha parantapa - "Lord Krishna said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!"

4.6- ajo ’pi sann avyayatmabhutanam isvaro ’pi sanprakritim svam adhisthayasambhavamy atma-mayaya - "Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form."

4.7- yada yada hi dharmasyaglanir bhavati bharataabhyutthanam adharmasyatadatmanam srjamy aham- "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself."

4.8- paritranaya sadhunamvinasaya ca duskritamdharma-samsthapanarthayasambhavami yuge yuge - "To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium."

There are 42 verses in this chapter. See the video link for the rest of the transliteration on the Yoga of Wisdom.