Mūla — the verse
Gita Press numberingअर्जुन उवाच
अपरं भवतो जन्म परं जन्म विवस्वतः।
कथमेतद्विजानीयां त्वमादौ प्रोक्तवानिति
arjuna uvācha
aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ
katham etad vijānīyāṁ tvam ādau proktavān iti
Anuṣṭubh
Translation
Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣyaArjuna said, "Your birth was later, whereas Vivasvan's birth was earlier. How am I to understand that You instructed him in the beginning?"
हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda
अर्जुन ने कहा -- आपका जन्म अपर अर्थात् पश्चात का है और विवस्वान् का जन्म (आपके) पूर्व का है, इसलिये यह मैं कैसे जानूँ कि (सृष्टि के) आदि में आपने (इस योग को) कहा था?
Pronunciation — Vaamshii
from Vaamshiiअ उ
अपरम् भवतो जन्म
परञ् जन्म विवस् वतः
कथ मेतद् विजा नीयाम्
त्वमा दौ प्रोक्त वानिति
॥ ४ ॥
Read each split group as one breath-unit; hyphens join pādas kept whole for the meter or a compound word. Symbols: # upadhmānīya (visarga before p/ph), % jihvāmūlīya (visarga before k/kh), ऽ avagraha (an elided a). Full method →
Word by word
padārthaarjunaḥ uvāchaArjun said
aparamlater
bhavataḥyour
janmabirth
paramprior
janmabirth
vivasvataḥVivasvan, the sun-god
kathamhow
etatthis
vijānīyāmam I to understand
tvamyou
ādauin the beginning
proktavāntaught
itithus
Themes
from The Thematic Companion to the Bhagavad GītāMeaning — Questions & Solutions
from Q&A with KnA4.4What chronological puzzle does Arjuna raise about Kṛṣṇa and the Sun?
Arjuna said, "Your birth was later, whereas Vivasvan's birth was earlier. How am I to understand that You instructed him in the beginning?"
The verse itself, in Swami Gambhīrānanda's rendering, is the answer. For reasoned solutions to knotty verses, browse the Q&A index.