Jñāna Yoga · Verse 3
स एवायं मया तेऽद्य योगः प्रोक्तः पुरातनः | भक्तोऽसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम्
sa evāyaṃ mayā te 'dya yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ | bhakto 'si me sakhā ceti rahasyaṃ hy etad uttamam
That same yoga, ancient, I have taught you today, because you are my devotee and friend. This is the supreme secret.
Kṛṣṇa explains why he now reveals the purātana — ancient — yoga: special relationship with Arjuna.
Bhaktaḥ — devotee — implies receptivity; sakhā — friend — implies intimacy. The rahasya — secret — is uttamam — supreme — not because it is hidden but because it escapes the unprepared intellect. Sacred knowledge requires merit, not just intellectual capacity.