Bahuni Me Vyatitani

Both Krishna and Arjuna have lived through many lifetimes. That much is the same. But here the similarity ends. Krishna remembers every single one of those births. Arjuna remembers none. An elder who has seen ninety years can recall the whole arc of his life. A small child cannot even recall last week.

This is the fundamental difference between the Lord and an ordinary being. Every soul carries the weight of countless past lives, but the memory is wiped clean each time, like a slate washed by rain. Krishna's awareness, by contrast, is unbroken. He stands outside the cycle even while appearing within it.

This is the first part of Krishna's answer to Arjuna's question in 4.4. He begins by establishing that both have had many births — the difference is only in memory and awareness.

The next shloka (4.6) goes deeper, explaining how Krishna, though unborn and imperishable, still manifests in the world through His own maya.