Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 3 (BG 4.3) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

Here the Blessed Lord now dispels the doubts of orthodox thinkers by proclaiming the antiquity of the knowledge He has imparted thus far. A teacher can only instruct with enthusiasm and skill when there is affection toward the disciple. Such was the relationship between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, and the Lord had faith that Arjuna would follow the path He had shown. Between teacher and disciple, there should not be a mere commercial arrangement where you pay a fee and I will teach. It is only in an atmosphere of love, freedom, friendship, and mutual understanding that the mind and intellect develop and blossom. Seeing in Arjuna the necessary qualities required to impart the knowledge of direct Self-realization, Sri Krishna says that He has given him the knowledge of this yoga. When this knowledge is called a mystery here, the meaning is simply this: however wise a person may be, without the instruction of an experienced sage, he can never even gain an inkling of the existence of the Self. The Self, which illuminates all the faculties of the intellect, is itself beyond the intellect. Therefore, the discriminative capacity of man can never know the eternal, unchanging Self as an object of knowledge. This is why the science of Truth is called here the supreme mystery. So that no doubt may linger in anyone's mind that there is contradiction in the words of the Blessed Lord, Arjuna, as it were, raises an objection and asks a question.