Bhagavad Gita · Jnana Karma Sannyasa YogaChapter 4, Shloka 1 (4.1)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
श्रीभगवानुवाच
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम्
विवस्वान् मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत्
॥ 4.1 ॥
imaṃ vivasvate yogaṃ proktavānahamavyayam
vivasvān manave prāha manurikṣvākave'bravīt
Translation
"The Blessed Lord said: I taught this imperishable yoga to Vivasvan (the Sun); Vivasvan told it to Manu, and Manu to Ikshvaku."
Interpretation
The links of the lineage: the Lord → Vivasvan (the Sun) → Manu → Ikshvaku (the first king of the Solar dynasty). In the traditional story, Manu is the son of Vivasvan and Ikshvaku the son of Manu.
Shankaracharya — why to kings? Jagat-paripālayitṝṇāṃ kṣatriyāṇāṃ balādhānāya — to give strength to the kshatriyas who protect the world; with the strength of this yoga they could protect brahma (the Vedic tradition of knowledge), and with both kept safe the world would be sustained. Avyayam avyaya-phalatvāt — imperishable because its fruit (liberation) is imperishable.
Acharya Ramanuja — not only for the war. Yaḥ ayaṃ tava udito yogaḥ sa kevalaṃ yuddha-protsāhanāya idānīm udita iti na mantavyam — do not think that this yoga has been taught now only to encourage you to fight. Manvantarādau eva nikhila-jagad-uddharaṇāya — at the very beginning of the manvantara (a great cosmic age), for the uplift of the whole world, as a means to liberation, I myself gave it to Vivasvan.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.