Wisdom survives through living transmission.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
एवं परम्पराप्राप्तमिमं राजर्षयो विदुः |स कालेनेह महता योगो नष्टः परन्तप ||४-२||
evaṃ paramparāprāptamimaṃ rājarṣayo viduḥ . sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa ||4-2||
Use this verse when wisdom feels forgotten in daily life.
Meaning
This yoga was received through tradition and known by royal sages. But over a long time, this yoga was lost, O scorcher of foes.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Wisdom can be lost when it is not practiced and preserved.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna explains that even eternal wisdom can disappear from human life when transmission weakens. Knowledge is not preserved by storage alone; it is preserved through living practice, teaching, and example. This verse is relevant for families, institutions, and apps: wisdom must be made accessible, repeated, and usable, or it fades from culture.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna explains that this knowledge, once held by the rājarṣis — kings who were also sages — gradually faded as time passed. The phrase kālena mahatā, 'by long lapse of time,' acknowledges a sobering reality: even the highest truth can be obscured when the chain of sincere transmission weakens and practitioners grow scarce.
This is why Krishna now speaks it afresh to Arjuna. Spiritual wisdom is not lost because it is false, but because human attention drifts, interpretations distort, and living realization gives way to mere ritual. Each generation must rediscover and re-receive the teaching for it to remain alive. The decay of dharma is not sudden but slow, which is precisely why its renewal is so urgent.
In daily life
Do not only admire wisdom; pass it forward through practice and teaching.
A family value like honesty survives only when children see adults practicing it under pressure.
Try this today
Share one useful Gita teaching with someone in a practical way.
I preserve wisdom by living it.Reflect
What wisdom could be lost if I do not live it?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘परन्तप’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on tradition, in other chapters
- Verse 13.5Trustworthy spiritual truth is confirmed by both inspired vision and careful reasoning across the ages.
- Verse 9.7Creation moves in vast cycles of dissolution and renewal — what looks like an ending is a return to source, never true loss.
- Verse 10.34Death and renewal are one breath of the Divine, and graces like memory, firmness, and forgiveness are sacred powers to cultivate.
- Verse 11.25 · ArjunaWhen fear leaves us utterly disoriented, the soul's truest move is to turn and cry to the Divine for mercy.
Swipe left for 4.3 · Deep wisdom is received through trust and devotion.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 4.2
Who says Bhagavad Gita 4.2, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 4.2, in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga (Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 4.2 mean?
This yoga was received through tradition and known by royal sages. But over a long time, this yoga was lost, O scorcher of foes. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 4.2 for daily life?
Do not only admire wisdom; pass it forward through practice and teaching. A family value like honesty survives only when children see adults practicing it under pressure.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 4.2 mean?
एवम् — thus; परम्परा-प्राप्तम् — received through succession; इमम् — this; राजर्षयः — the royal sages; विदुः — knew.
Where does verse 4.2 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 2 of 42 in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 4.3.