Gita 04.05 – Krishna spiritual position is not affected by his material location
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
bahūni me vyatītāni
janmāni tava cārjuna
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi
na tvaṁ vettha paran-tapa (Bg 4.5)
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.
Translation:
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!
Explanation:
Arjuna had asked a one-verse question in 4.4, and Kṛṣṇa begins His answer in this verse. Arjuna’s question was: “The sun-god is senior to You in age—how then could You have instructed him in this knowledge?”
Kṛṣṇa responds:
bahūni me vyatītāni: Many births have passed,
janmāni tava cārjuna: both for Me and for you, O Arjuna.
tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi: I remember all of them,
na tvaṁ vettha paran-tapa: but you do not, O subduer of enemies.
Here, Kṛṣṇa refers to Arjuna by two names: Arjuna and Parantapa. The name “Arjuna” means one who is straight, pure, and spotless. “Parantapa” refers to one who can overpower or scorch enemies. In using these names, Kṛṣṇa reminds Arjuna that he is both pure and powerful. Yet, despite his purity and potency, Arjuna is still unable to overcome the forgetfulness that comes with the passage of time and the change of lifetimes.
Kṛṣṇa, however, is not affected in the same way. Although He and Arjuna may appear externally similar—both sitting on the same chariot, seemingly equals—in this verse, Kṛṣṇa begins to reveal the vast difference between their positions. Kṛṣṇa is God of gods—the Supreme Lord.
As the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa is not subject to the vicissitudes of time. He is all-attractive (Kṛṣṇa), all-powerful, and being all-powerful, He is also omniscient. He knows everything—past, present, and future—and, unlike the conditioned soul, He never forgets anything.
As the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa reveals His divine nature by stating that both He and Arjuna have gone through many lifetimes. In doing so, He indirectly answers Arjuna’s question by implying that it was in a previous life—in a previous form—that He instructed Sūrya Deva.
Although in this present lifetime He “appears” to be Arjuna’s contemporary, Kṛṣṇa is not “born” like ordinary beings. His appearance is transcendental. Just as the sun appears on the eastern horizon each morning—not born, but manifest—Kṛṣṇa similarly manifests in this world. In this life, He may seem to be of the same age as Arjuna, but the event of instructing the sun-god took place in an earlier life, in a previous incarnation, in a different manifestation.
Here, the tattva—the underlying philosophical truth—is more important than the specific details. The principle carries greater weight than the practical or historical particulars. One may ask: which specific form of Kṛṣṇa is being referred to? In which particular incarnation did He impart this knowledge to Vivasvān?
Kṛṣṇa Himself does not dwell on these questions. He answers briefly—in just one verse—and then moves on. His emphasis is not on satisfying historical curiosity, but on establishing the enduring spiritual principle. As we proceed, we will see that Kṛṣṇa focuses on the core philosophical message, and that is where our attention should also rest.
The principle here is that all living beings in this world go through many births—and this includes Arjuna. What Kṛṣṇa emphasizes in this verse is that, although He too appears repeatedly, there is a fundamental difference: He remembers all His past appearances, while conditioned souls like Arjuna do not.
Two verses later, in Bhagavad-gītā 4.8, Kṛṣṇa declares, sambhavāmi yuge yuge—“I appear in every age.” The emphasis, therefore, is on the nature and continuity of the Lord’s appearance, not on pinpointing the specific incarnation in which He instructed Vivasvān.
Although in some contexts, the details of Kṛṣṇa’s specific incarnations may be discussed and even known, that is not the emphasis over here. Rather, Kṛṣṇa’s concern is to highlight a deeper truth: both He and the living entities take many births, but unlike the living entities—who forget everything when they change bodies—Kṛṣṇa never forgets. His memory, like His existence, is eternal and transcendental.
There are multiple reasons for this. First of all, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme; He is not subject to the influence of time. Time causes forgetfulness in conditioned souls, but Kṛṣṇa remains untouched by it.
Secondly, we generally forget things associated with the body, because our identity is tied to a temporary, ever-changing material form. In contrast, Kṛṣṇa does not manifest a material body that changes from one lifetime to another. Although He appears in different forms—such as Rāma or Narasiṁha—these are not temporary or assumed forms like ours. They are eternal, spiritual forms that are revealed periodically within this world.
The point here is that the Lord manifests in different incarnations, each performing different functions at different times. However, regardless of when they appear or what specific role they play, one unchanging principle remains—they all act to protect dharma, as will be emphasized in the next verse.
While fulfilling this mission, each incarnation operates in a manner appropriate to their specific potency and position. Although they may appear in forms that resemble ordinary living beings, when the time calls for it, they reveal extraordinary powers—powers not found in any other being. These extraordinary displays are not random; they are purposeful manifestations of their divine nature. Through such divine arrangements, the Lord unmistakably demonstrates His supreme position.
Here, Kṛṣṇa is revealing His supreme position, while also demonstrating that this position is beyond the grasp of our finite intelligence. The essential principle is that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord—the supreme being.
A key takeaway from this verse is that Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual position is not affected by His physical location. He may be present in the material world, He may appear in a body of a particular age, and He may take on a seemingly subordinate role—as a charioteer to Arjuna, the warrior. Yet, despite all these external appearances, He remains the Supreme Person.
As part of His divine pastimes, Kṛṣṇa may sometimes accept roles that appear ordinary or even socially inferior. However, His material position or appearance never diminishes His spiritual position. Why? Because material illusion—the very force that covers the spiritual identity of conditioned souls—does not and cannot affect Kṛṣṇa.
This will be stated clearly by Kṛṣṇa in the next verse. The emphatic point conveyed in this verse, through the contrast that Arjuna has forgotten but Kṛṣṇa has not, is that Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual position remains untouched by His material location. He is always transcendental.
Thank you.
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