The Divine manifests out of freedom and compassion.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् |प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय सम्भवाम्यात्ममायया ||४-६||
ajo.api sannavyayātmā bhūtānāmīśvaro.api san . prakṛtiṃ svāmadhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmyātmamāyayā ||4-6||
Use this verse when you want to understand Krishna’s divine birth.
Meaning
Though I am unborn, imperishable, and the Lord of beings, I manifest through My own nature by My own divine power.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Krishna explains divine incarnation: the unborn appears through divine power.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse introduces the mystery of avatara. Krishna is not born like ordinary beings under compulsion of karma. He manifests by conscious divine will. This can be explained as the Divine entering human history to guide, protect, and restore dharma. It also teaches that the highest reality is not distant; it can become accessible for the sake of compassion.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna unveils the paradox of divine incarnation. He is aja — unborn — and avyaya — imperishable — yet He appears in the world through ātma-māyā, His own divine power. Unlike ordinary beings who are forced into birth by karma and forgetfulness, the Lord descends freely, fully in command of His nature (prakṛti), never subject to it.
The key distinction is mastery. We are born because we must; the divine is 'born' because it chooses to. Māyā here is not delusion but the sovereign creative power by which the formless takes form to serve a purpose. This is the meaning of avatāra — not a falling into bondage but a deliberate descent of grace, the eternal stepping into time while remaining untouched by it.
In daily life
Remember that divine guidance can enter ordinary life in extraordinary ways.
A seeker may experience guidance through a teacher, scripture, crisis, intuition, or unexpected help.
Try this today
Write one moment where life seemed guided beyond your planning.
Divine guidance is present in my journey.Reflect
Where has guidance appeared unexpectedly in my life?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘आत्म-मायया’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on maya, in other chapters
- Verse 7.14You cannot out-think illusion with the very mind it deludes — but wholehearted refuge in the Divine carries you across.
- Verse 18.61The Divine dwells in every heart, intimately guiding the whole play of life from within.
- Verse 3.15Selfless action connects you to the divine source of all things — your work, offered rightly, becomes a form of worship.
- Verse 2.64The self-mastered person who moves among sense objects free from attachment and aversion attains divine grace and inner clarity.
Swipe left for 4.7 · When dharma declines, divine guidance appears.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 4.6
Who says Bhagavad Gita 4.6, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 4.6, in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga (Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 4.6 mean?
Though I am unborn, imperishable, and the Lord of beings, I manifest through My own nature by My own divine power. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 4.6 for daily life?
Remember that divine guidance can enter ordinary life in extraordinary ways. A seeker may experience guidance through a teacher, scripture, crisis, intuition, or unexpected help.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 4.6 mean?
अजः अपि सन् — though I am unborn; अव्यय-आत्मा — of imperishable nature; भूतानाम् ईश्वरः अपि सन् — though the Lord of all beings; प्रकृतिम् स्वाम् — My own nature; अधिष्ठाय — governing, presiding over.
Where does verse 4.6 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 6 of 42 in Chapter 4, Jnana Karma Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 4.7.