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Å›rÄ«-bhagavÄn uvÄca
imaá¹ vivasvate yogaá¹
proktavÄn aham avyayam
vivasvÄn manave prÄha
manur iká¹£vÄkave 'bravÄ«t

182 times this text was mentioned in purports to other texts: BG(1) , CC(3) , LBG(61) , LCC(6) , LSB(58) , SB(5) , TLC(1) , TLKS(47)

 Å›rÄ«-bhagavÄn uvÄca - the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; imam - this; vivasvate - unto the sun-god; yogam - the science of one's relationship to the Supreme; proktavÄn - instructed; aham - I; avyayam - imperishable; vivasvÄn - VivasvÄn (the sun-god's name); manave - unto the father of mankind (of the name Vaivasvata); prÄha - told; manuḥ - the father of mankind; iká¹£vÄkave - unto King Iká¹£vÄku; abravÄ«t - said.


Text

The Personality of Godhead, Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, VivasvÄn, and VivasvÄn instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iká¹£vÄku.

Purport

Herein we ï¬nd the history of the Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ traced from a remote time when it was delivered to the royal order of all planets, beginning from the sun planet. The kings of all planets are especially meant for the protection of the inhabitants, and therefore the royal order should understand the science of Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ in order to be able to rule the citizens and protect them from material bondage to lust. Human life is meant for cultivation of spiritual knowledge, in eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the executive heads of all states and all planets are obliged to impart this lesson to the citizens by education, culture and devotion. In other words, the executive heads of all states are intended to spread the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that the people may take advantage of this great science and pursue a successful path, utilizing the opportunity of the human form of life.

In this millennium, the sun-god is known as VivasvÄn, the king of the sun, which is the origin of all planets within the solar system. In the Brahma-saá¹hitÄ (5.52) it is stated:

yac-caká¹£ur eá¹£a savitÄ sakala-grahÄṇÄá¹
rÄjÄ samasta-sura-mÅ«rtir aÅ›eá¹£a-tejÄḥ
yasyÄjñayÄ bhramati sambhá¹›ta-kÄla-cakro
govindam Ädi-puruá¹£aá¹ tam ahaá¹ bhajÄmi

“Let me worship,†Lord BrahmÄ said, “the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kṛṣṇa], who is the original person and under whose order the sun, which is the king of all planets, is assuming immense power and heat. The sun represents the eye of the Lord and traverses its orbit in obedience to His order.â€

The sun is the king of the planets, and the sun-god (at present of the name VivasvÄn) rules the sun planet, which is controlling all other planets by supplying heat and light. He is rotating under the order of Kṛṣṇa, and Lord Kṛṣṇa originally made VivasvÄn His ï¬rst disciple to understand the science of Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ. The GÄ«tÄ is not, therefore, a speculative treatise for the insigniï¬cant mundane scholar but is a standard book of knowledge coming down from time immemorial.

In the MahÄbhÄrata (ÅšÄnti-parva 348.51–52) we can trace out the history of the GÄ«tÄ as follows:

tretÄ-yugÄdau ca tato
vivasvÄn manave dadau
manuÅ› ca loka-bhá¹›ty-arthaá¹
sutÄyeká¹£vÄkave dadau
iká¹£vÄkuá¹‡Ä ca kathito
vyÄpya lokÄn avasthitaḥ

“In the beginning of the millennium known as TretÄ-yuga this science of the relationship with the Supreme was delivered by VivasvÄn to Manu. Manu, being the father of mankind, gave it to his son MahÄrÄja Iká¹£vÄku, the king of this earth planet and forefather of the Raghu dynasty, in which Lord RÄmacandra appeared.†Therefore, Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ existed in human society from the time of MahÄrÄja Iká¹£vÄku.

At the present moment we have just passed through ï¬ve thousand years of the Kali-yuga, which lasts 432,000 years. Before this there was DvÄpara-yuga (800,000 years), and before that there was TretÄ-yuga (1,200,000 years). Thus, some 2,005,000 years ago, Manu spoke the Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ to his disciple and son MahÄrÄja Iká¹£vÄku, the king of this planet earth. The age of the current Manu is calculated to last some 305,300,000 years, of which 120,400,000 have passed. Accepting that before the birth of Manu the GÄ«tÄ was spoken by the Lord to His disciple the sun-god VivasvÄn, a rough estimate is that the GÄ«tÄ was spoken at least 120,400,000 years ago; and in human society it has been extant for two million years. It was respoken by the Lord again to Arjuna about ï¬ve thousand years ago. That is the rough estimate of the history of the GÄ«tÄ, according to the GÄ«tÄ itself and according to the version of the speaker, Lord ÅšrÄ« Kṛṣṇa. It was spoken to the sun-god VivasvÄn because he is also a ká¹£atriya and is the father of all ká¹£atriyas who are descendants of the sun-god, or the sÅ«rya-vaá¹Å›a ká¹£atriyas. Because Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ is as good as the Vedas, being spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this knowledge is apauruá¹£eya, superhuman. Since the Vedic instructions are accepted as they are, without human interpretation, the GÄ«tÄ must therefore be accepted without mundane interpretation. The mundane wranglers may speculate on the GÄ«tÄ in their own ways, but that is not Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ as it is. Therefore, Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ has to be accepted as it is, from the disciplic succession, and it is described herein that the Lord spoke to the sun-god, the sun-god spoke to his son Manu, and Manu spoke to his son Iká¹£vÄku.