The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action

Krishna answers Arjuna's logical question with a profound truth: 'I remember all births (aham veda sarvāṇi janmāni), but you don't.' This reveals the difference between ordinary consciousness and divine consciousness. Both Krishna and Arjuna have had many births (bahūni vyatītāni), but Krishna remembers while Arjuna forgets. This isn't about superiority—it's about the nature of consciousness itself. Ordinary beings (jīva) forget past births because consciousness is clouded by material identification. Divine consciousness remembers because it's not bound by material limitations. This verse begins revealing Krishna's true nature—not just a friend and charioteer, but the eternal consciousness that transcends time.