श्री भगवानुवाच
बहूनि मे व्यतीतानि जन्मानि तव चार्जुन।
तान्यहं वेद सर्वाणि न त्वं वेत्थ परन्तप।।4.5।।
The Blessed Lord said, “O Arjuna, many lives of Mine have passed, and so have yours. I know them all, but you do not know, O scorcher of enemies!”
Osho’s Commentary
Krishna’s answer is not a logical argument; it is a statement of experience. He says, “You and I, we have both passed through many births. The only difference is, I remember them all, and you have forgotten.” This forgetting is our natural state. We cannot even remember what we did on this day, ten years ago. We cannot even remember being in the womb. The memory is there, hidden in the deep unconscious, but we have no access to it. We live on the surface of our minds, a tiny, conscious fragment, while the vast ocean of the unconscious lies forgotten below. The one who becomes aware, the one who awakens, begins to remember. His memory stretches back—through this life, through the womb, into past lives. He becomes a continuum of consciousness. For him, birth and death are just small incidents, like changing clothes. The wearer of the clothes remains the same. Krishna is speaking from this awakened memory. He is not trying to convince Arjuna with philosophy. He is simply stating a fact of his own being. You are asleep; I am awake. I remember; you have forgotten. This is not a matter for debate; it is a matter of awakening.