FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Bhagavad-gītā 4.5

श्रीभगवानुवाच बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन । तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप ॥ ५ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
[shree-bhagavaan uvaacha]
bahūni me vyatītāni
[bahooni me vyateetaani]
janmāni tava cārjuna
[janmaani tava chaarjuna]
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
[taany aham veda sarvaani]
na tvaṁ vettha paran-tapa
[na tvam vettha paran-tapa]
Word-for-word
śrī - bhagavān uvāca — the Personality of Godhead said bahūni — many me — of Mine vyatītāni — have passed janmāni — births tava — of yours ca — and also arjuna — O Arjuna tāni — those aham — I veda — do know sarvāṇi — all na — not tvam — you vettha — know param - tapa — O subduer of the enemy .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
śrī - bhagavān uvāca
the Personality of Godhead said
bahūni me vyatītāni
bahūni
many
me
of Mine
vyatītāni
have passed
janmāni tava cārjuna
janmāni
births
tava
of yours
ca
and also
arjuna
O Arjuna
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
tāni
those
aham
I
veda
do know
sarvāṇi
all
na tvaṁ vettha paran-tapa
na
not
tvam
you
vettha
know
param - tapa
O subduer of the enemy .
Important Words
  • bahūni — many
    Plural and emphatic — not 'a few prior lives' but many. Kṛṣṇa is dismissing in one word the Western single-life cosmology. The Gītā's metaphysics does not work without a vast back-catalogue.
  • vyatītāni — have passed
    Past passive participle of vi + ati + √i — 'gone beyond, elapsed.' The lives are real, completed events, not poetic exaggeration. Each had its full arc.
  • veda — I know
    From √vid — to know directly, not to infer. Kṛṣṇa's knowledge of His past lives is not memory in the human sense; it is direct, present perception. The same root gives the word 'Veda.'
  • vettha — you know
    Same root, second-person form. The grammatical parity sharpens the contrast: same verb of knowing, different scope. Kṛṣṇa's veda is total; Arjuna's vettha is bounded by this body.
  • param - tapa — O subduer of the enemies
    Used again — but now in a context of memory rather than warfare. Arjuna, you have scorched outer foes; the inner foe of forgetfulness (avidyā) is the one I am pointing to.
The Personality of Godhead said: Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot, O subduer of the enemy!
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The asymmetry is set out starkly: both speaker and listener have had many births, but only the Lord retains the memory. Arjuna's chronological objection collapses once it is conceded that Kṛṣṇa's awareness is not bound by a single embodiment.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Establishes a key feature of īśvara — uninterrupted self-awareness across embodiments — contrasted with the jīva's amnesia (smṛti-bhraṁśa). The double vocative (अर्जुन / परन्तप) personalizes the contrast: Arjuna the warrior, brave but limited in vision. Cross-ref BG 2.12 (eternal plurality of selves) and BG 15.15 (smṛti from the Lord).
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
हे अर्जुन! मे तव च बहूनि जन्मानि व्यतीतानि; हे परन्तप! अहम् तानि सर्वाणि वेद, त्वम् न वेत्थ।
he arjuna! me tava ca bahūni janmāni vyatītāni; he parantapa! aham tāni sarvāṇi veda, tvam na vettha|
O Arjuna, many births have passed of Mine and yours; O scorcher of foes, I know them all, you do not.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
श्रीभगवान् उवाच
śrībhagavān uvāca
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव च अर्जुन । तानि अहम् वेद सर्वाणि न त्वम् वेत्थ परन्तप ॥
bahūni me vyatītāni janmāni tava ca arjuna | tāni aham veda sarvāṇi na tvam vettha parantapa ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
बहूनि bahūni बहु (adj.) nom.pl. (nominative plural)n. many
मे me अस्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular), enclitic of Mine
व्यतीतानि vyatītāni वि+अति+√इ p.p.p. (past passive participle) nom.pl. (nominative plural)n. have passed
जन्मानि janmāni जन्मन् (n.) nom.pl. (nominative plural) births
तव tava युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) gen.sg. (genitive singular) of yours
च ca ind. (indeclinable), conjunctive and
अर्जुन arjuna अर्जुन (m.) voc.sg. (vocative singular) O Arjuna
तानि tāni तद् (dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun)) acc.pl. (accusative plural)n. them
अहम् aham अस्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular) I
वेद veda √विद् perf. (used as pres. (present)) 1sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) know
सर्वाणि sarvāṇi सर्व (adj.) acc.pl. (accusative plural)n. all
न na ind. (indeclinable), negation not
त्वम् tvam युष्मद् (pron. (pronoun)) nom.sg. (nominative singular) you
वेत्थ vettha √विद् perf. (perfect) 2sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) you know
परन्तप parantapa परम्+तप, bahuvrīhi cpd. (compound), voc.sg. (vocative singular)m. O scorcher of foes
Purport

In the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.33) we have information of many, many incarnations of the Lord. It is stated there: advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi “I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kṛṣṇa], who is the original person – absolute, infallible, without beginning. Although expanded into unlimited forms, He is still the same original, the oldest, and the person always appearing as a fresh youth. Such eternal, blissful, all-knowing forms of the Lord are usually not understood by even the best Vedic scholars, but they are always manifest to pure, unalloyed devotees.” It is also stated in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.39) : rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi “I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kṛṣṇa], who is always situated in various incarnations such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha and many subincarnations as well, but who is the original Personality of Godhead known as Kṛṣṇa, and who incarnates personally also.” In the Vedas also it is said that the Lord, although one without a second, manifests Himself in innumerable forms. He is like the vaidūrya stone, which changes color yet still remains one. All those multiforms are understood by the pure, unalloyed devotees, but not by a simple study of the Vedas ( vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau ). Devotees like Arjuna are constant companions of the Lord, and whenever the Lord incarnates, the associate devotees also incarnate in order to serve the Lord in different capacities. Arjuna is one of these devotees, and in this verse it is understood that some millions of years ago when Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god Vivasvān, Arjuna, in a different capacity, was also present. But the difference between the Lord and Arjuna is that the Lord remembered the incident whereas Arjuna could not remember. That is the difference between the part-and-parcel living entity and the Supreme Lord. Although Arjuna is addressed herein as the mighty hero who could subdue the enemies, he is unable to recall what had happened in his various past births. Therefore, a living entity, however great he may be in the material estimation, can never equal the Supreme Lord. Anyone who is a constant companion of the Lord is certainly a liberated person, but he cannot be equal to the Lord. The Lord is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā as infallible ( acyuta ), which means that He never forgets Himself, even though He is in material contact. Therefore, the Lord and the living entity can never be equal in all respects, even if the living entity is as liberated as Arjuna. Although Arjuna is a devotee of the Lord, he sometimes forgets the nature of the Lord, but by the divine grace a devotee can at once understand the infallible condition of the Lord, whereas a nondevotee or a demon cannot understand this transcendental nature. Consequently these descriptions in the Gītā cannot be understood by demonic brains. Kṛṣṇa remembered acts which were performed by Him millions of years before, but Arjuna could not, despite the fact that both Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are eternal in nature. We may also note herein that a living entity forgets everything due to his change of body, but the Lord remembers because He does not change His sac-cid-ānanda body. He is advaita, which means there is no distinction between His body and Himself. Everything in relation to Him is spirit – whereas the conditioned soul is different from his material body. And because the Lord’s body and self are identical, His position is always different from that of the ordinary living entity, even when He descends to the material platform. The demons cannot adjust themselves to this transcendental nature of the Lord, which the Lord Himself explains in the following verse.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
5. The Lord said: You and I have gone through many births. I know all of these, but you do not, O afflicter of enemies.
Commentary

In this verse, the Lord explains that He instructs through the agency of His avatāras. I appear as various avatāras, and you also appear as My companion at that time. I know, since I am omniscient, being the Supreme lord. You do not know, since I cover your knowledge for fulfilling the purpose of My pastimes. [Note: This is the influence of yoga-māyā.] With knowledge covered, O afflicter of the enemy, you afflict (tapa) the enemies (param) by thinking of yourself as the son of Kuntī, a kṣatriya, during in this life.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
5. The Lord said: You and I have gone through many births. I know all of these, but you do not, O afflicter of enemies.
Commentary

Though I am one, I have many eternal forms. This is confirmed by many statements in the śrutis such as eko’pi san bahudhā yo’vabhāti: though he is one he appears as man. (Gopāla Tāpaṇi, Upaniṣad.1.19) Holding those many, eternal forms within Myself, like the vaidurya stone, I taught him in another form previously. Intending to say this, the Lord says, “I have passed through many births. You, because you are My friend, also have passed through the same number of births. But you do not know this, because now your knowledge is covered for carrying out My pastimes, by My inconceivable energy.” By this statement coming from Lord’s own mouth, He shows His omniscience. It should be understood from this statement that the Lord’s births are real, because the statement comes from the mouth of the Lord Himself that He has undergone many births, and because further support is given with an example by saying “and you also had many births (tava ca).” But by being born, the Lord does not undergo any transformation, since this is refuted in later statements of the Lord.

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Here is the start, in this Section, of the intimate knowledge about Krsna. And Krsna calls Arjuna "O subduer of the enemy ‑ parantapa", but another meaning of "parantapa" is "one who gives to others". Arjuna is giving "the others", the oportunity to hear this transcendental knowledge, by asking that question. Krsna has taken many births but because His body is different from the living entities' bodies. The living entities take many births but they don't remember them whereas Krsna remembers, because He doesn't change His transcendental body. Here comes transcendental knowledge about Krsna and His body which is non‑different from Him:

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: Krishna reveals His transcendental position about His birth and activities

Text 4.5 and 4.6 talks about ‘His appearance and disappearance’
Text 4.5: My birth and death are not like yours
Text 4.6: I appear in My original transcendental form which is unborn and never dies , I appear by My own will
Texts 4.7 – 4.8 talks about ‘His activities.’ It explains when and why Krishna appears – reasons of descent:
When
Decline in religion
Predominant rise in irreligion
Why
To annihilate the demons
To deliver the devotees (from anxiety to see the Lord)
To re-establish the principles of religion
Text 4.9 – 4.10 talks about the result of understanding the knowledge of ‘transcendental birth’ (Texts 4.5 & 4.6) and ‘activities’ (Texts 4.7 & 4.8)
To be absorbed in Krishna
Become purified
Freed from attachment, fear and anger
Attain love for Krishna
Go back to Krishna (Transcendental abode)
No re-birth in material world

PLEASE NOTE: All Themes of Texts 4.5 – 4.10 are described above under the common theme and their purports

are described in their respective Focus of Learning sections below. Only some points of the purports of Texts 4.5

and 4.6, are described under the Summarsized Theme 4A.

SUMMARISED THEME 4A

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN KRISHNA AND THE CONDITIONED LIVING ENTITY
(4.5 – 4.6 purports)

S.No

Krishna

Conditioned Living entity

Eternal and remembers past, present and future (Acyuta: never forgets – infallible)
Eternal but forgets
Remembers all births because body does not change or deteriorate (Avyayam)
Forgets because body changes and deteriorates
Appears by own will
Forced to appear by karma
Body is transcendental
Body is material
No difference between body and self (Adwaita)
The soul acquires an external body (gross and subtle)

Focus of Learning

(a) Peculiarity of Lord’s birth

Lord appears like an ordinary person
But remembers many many past births
Common man cannot remember past few hours, therefore no-one can claim to be God

(b) Lord has many incarnations but He is original

Ref. Vedas – Analogy: Lord is like the Vaidurya stone which changes color but still remains one (Lord manifests so many innumerable forms)
Ref. Brahma-Samhita 5.33; 5.39

(c) Qualification to understand these multi-forms – and example of such a qualified person

Only by pure unalloyed devotion and not by simple study of the Vedas, can one understand
e.g. Arjuna incarnates as one of the associate devotees in all incarnations

(d) Difference between ‘devotee forgetting the nature of Lord’ and ‘demon not understanding’

Devotee may forget but by His divine grace, one immediately understands the infallible nature of the Lord
Non-devotee never understands

(e) Living entity can never equal the Lord (4.5)

Lord is Achyuta (Infallible) – Never forgets Himself and His previous births even in material contact
Lord is Advaita – There is no distinction between His body and Self, therefore He does not change His spiritual body and never forgets His past births
Living entity, however great, spiritually liberated or materially great, can never equal the Lord, e.g. Arjuna
Materially – He is famous as ‘Parantapa’ (Subduer of enemies)
Spiritually – is one of the liberated associates

(f) ‘Atma-maya’ (4.6) – means

Lord descends by ‘internal potency’ and not by ‘external potency’
Lord’s body and intelligence never deteriorates (‘avyayam’) and is never contaminated by material nature (thus it defeats Mayavada teaching)
Prakriti means nature or ‘svarupa’ (own form)
Analogy: His appearance and disappearance are likes the sun’s rising and setting
He is always the “Lord of all living entities” – evident by wonderful and superhuman acts on Earth
‘Atma-maya’ also means that Lord descends by ‘causeless mercy’ so that we can concentrate on His form as He is and not on ‘Mental concoctions and imaginations’
Ref. Amara-kosa dictionary

(a) Definition of Sadhu – A man in Krishna consciousness, apparently may be irreligious but if he is

wholly and fully Krishna conscious, he is a sadhu

(b) Definition of ‘Duskrtam’ – Does not care for Krishna consciousness

(c) Prime purpose of any Avatara

To appease His unalloyed devotees e.g. Prahlada Maharaja and Devaki
Otherwise the athiests can be dealt with by the Lord’s agents

(d) Ref. Caitanya-caritamrta on (Principles of Incarnation)

The avatara, or incarnation of Godhead, descends from the kingdom of God for material manifestation
And the particular form of the Personality of Godhead who descends is called an incarnation, or avatara
Such incarnations are situated in the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. When they descend to the material creation, they assume the name avatara

(e) Why specifically does Lord Krishna descend (Prime purpose) – To mitigate anxieties of pure

devotees who are anxious to see His Vrindavana pastimes

(a) How the Lord incarnates – By His internal potency – This is indicated by the word ‘Srjami’

Meaning of ‘Srjami’ – Lord is not created or born but “manifests” as per free will
‘Srjami’ is mentioned as “manifests” because Text 4.6 refutes the Lord being born or created, by calling Him as ‘aja’

(b) When does the Lord incarnate – Usual schedule of Lord’s appearance

End of Dvapara-yuga of 28th millennium of seventh Manu of a day of Brahma
But no obligation to rule

(c) For what purpose does the Lord decend – Lord comes to establish “principles of dharma”

What are the ‘principles of dharma’ – Direct orders of Supreme Personality of Godhead
Ref. SB 6.3.19 “Dharmam tu…”
What is ‘Highest dharma’ – Surrender unto Him only

(d) Certain facts about ‘Avatara’

Mission: Comes with mission, e.g. Lord Buddha came to establish Vedic principles of ‘Non-violence’
Sanctioned: Mentioned in scriptures – criteria to accept
Place: Can appear anywhere, not only on Indian soil
Message: Speaks as per audience, e.g. higher and lower mathematics
Common mission:
To lead people to God-consciousness,
Obedience to the principles of religion

(e) Bhagavad-gita is for highly advanced people, e.g. Arjuna (higher principles of religion begin with

Varna-asrama)

(a) Liberation of living entity from material bondage is not very easy – Two paths are possible:

Path of impersonalism and yoga
Path of devotees

(b) Path of Impersonalists and yogis

Endeavor – Not very easy - many, many births
Goal – Only partial success, brahmajyoti
Safety – Risk of fall-down

(c) Path of Devotees in Krishna consciousness

Endeavor – Very easy, one has to simply understand the transcendental nature of Lord’s birth and activities (4.9)
Goal – Abode of Krishna – Thus complete success is assured
Safety – Lord protects from falldown again into the material world

(d) Who can attain ‘Perfection of liberation’

A faithful devotee, who accepts Krishna’s protection with faith
One who accepts Krishna as Supreme Personality of Godhead
He has many transcendental forms
These forms have relations with unalloyed devotees
One who does not waste time in philosophical speculations
Ref. Brahma Samhita, Vedas, Svetasvatara Upanisad (study purport)

(e) Fate of other processes like empiric philosophers and puffed-up mundane scholars

Waste of time
May get important roles in material world, not liberation
Analogy: licking the outer surface of a bottle of honey

(f) What is the hope for these speculators etc. – ‘Only causeless mercy of devotee of the Lord’

(g) Conclusive suggestion – Cultivate Krishna consciousness with faith and knowledge and attain

perfection

(f) Who is the ‘Avatara’ for Kali-yuga – Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

How does he spread religion and deliver miscreants – Propogated Sankirtan Movement throughout India
Sastric proof – This Avatara is mentioned secretly and not directly in Upanisads, Mahabharata and Srimad Bhagavatam
Mission
He does not kill but delivers by causeless mercy
Predicts the broadcast of Sankirtana movement all over the world
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
4.5 O Arjuna, bahuni, many; janmani, lives; me, of Mine; vyatitani, have passed; tava ca, and so have yours. Aham, I; veda know; tani, them; sarvani, all; (but) tvam, you; va vetta, know not, due to your power of understanding being obstructed by righteousness, unrighteousness, etc. However, parantapa, O scorcher of foes; aham, I know, possessing as I do unobstructed power of knowledge, because by nature I am enternal, pure, enlightened and free. 'In that case, how, in spite of the absence of righteousness and unrighteousness, can there be any birth for You who are the eternal God?' That is beng answered:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
4.5 The Lord said By this, the reality of the Lord's birth is declared in the sentence, 'Many births of Mine have passed.' 'So is it with you' is added by way of illustration. The mode of incarnation, the reality of His body and the cause of His birth are explained in the following verse.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
4.5 See Comment under 4.9
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
4.5 The Blessed Lord said Many births of Mine have passed as well as of thine, O Arjuna; I know them all but thou knowest not, O Parantapa (scorcher of foes).
Commentary

4.5 बहूनि may? मे My? व्यतीतानि have passed away? जन्मानि births? तव thy? च and? अर्जुन O Arjuna? तानि them? अहम् I? वेद know? सर्वाणि all? न not? त्वम् thou? वेत्थ knowest? परन्तप O Parantapa.Commentary You have no intuitional knowledge. The eye of wisdom has not been opened in you on account of your past actions. So your power of vision is limited and therefore you do not know your previous births. But I know them because I am omniscient.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
4.5 The Blessed Lord said O Arjuna, many lives of Mine have passed, and so have yours. I know them all, (but) you know not, O scorcher of enemies!
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
4.5 Lord Shri Krishna replied: I have been born again and again, from time to time; thou too,O Arjuna! My births are known to Me, but thou knowest not thine.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Guru Bhakti (Reverence for Teacher)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 2.12 BG 2.13 BG 7.26 SB 3.26.8 SB 6.1.49 SB 10.87.30 CC Madhya 20.117 CC Madhya 22.24 CC Madhya 25.141 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.18Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.6
Concepts
Maya
Study Q&A referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Many lives have passed for both you and Me — I remember them all; you do not.
Practical Applications
  • Hold humility about what you don't remember; the Lord remembers everything.
  • Trust that Kṛṣṇa knows your story across lives even when you don't.
  • Take refuge in His memory when yours fails.
Reflection Questions
  • What in this life feels unfinished from somewhere prior?
  • What does it mean that He remembers what I cannot?
Analogy

Two travelers walk the same long road, but one carries a journal in which every step has been recorded and the other carries no memory at all. Both have walked the same distance; only one knows it. Kṛṣṇa is saying: we have been together longer than you can possibly remember, and the asymmetry is not in the walking but in the remembering.

Stories
Dhruva remembering only at the end

When the boy Dhruva finally beheld Lord Viṣṇu after months of austerity, the Lord touched His conch to his cheek and Dhruva's tongue loosened to compose perfect Sanskrit hymns of praise. Bhāgavatam tradition holds that Dhruva remembered, in that moment, the realizations he had earned across previous lives — and only the Lord's touch unlocked them.

This is the asymmetry of verse 5 in miniature. Kṛṣṇa always remembered Dhruva; Dhruva remembered only when Kṛṣṇa permitted.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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