Exact meaning of Bhagavad-gita

[bhaktajan]

Exact meaning of Bhagavad-gita

This is a Re-Posting of Sucandra's post:

Sucandra:

They still insist upon interpretating the Gita like Kuruksetra is the body and the Pandavas are the five senses etc.

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Guest (Indian man): Could it be that there may be different interpretations?

 

Prabhupada: No, that is not possible. That is not the process. You cannot interpret Bhagavad-gita. If you want to preach Bhagavad-gita, you must preach what Krsna has said. If you have got a different philosophy, you can say differently. You don’t cheat people that you take Bhagavad-gita and interpret in your own way and cheat others and be cheated yourself. You cannot do that.

Guest: Well, for example, Tilak Maharaj…

 

Prabhupada: Tilak may be, Gandhi may be, whoever may be. But the point is that you have to understand Bhagavad-gita according to the direction of the author. Because you are Mr. Tilak or Mr. Gandhi, you can do everything on Bhagavad-gita…

Guest: No no, that is not the idea. But there are different type slokas.

Prabhupada: Now how you have got a different types of… Just like the Bhagavad-gita begins, dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samaveta yuyutsavaḥ [Bg. 1.1]. So dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre, how you can interpret in a different way? Kurukṣetra is already there. But how you can interpret, “Kurukṣetra means this, Kurukṣetra means that?” You cannot interpret.

Guest: Yes, but who is decided what exactly the meaning…

Prabhupāda: Exactly the meaning is there.

Guest: Literal, literally.

Prabhupada: Literally, yes. The thing is the interpretation is required when you cannot understand.

If, if I say, “This is a stick,” everyone knows it is a stick.

So I say, “Here is a stick.”

So if you say, “No, I do not accept it is stick.” So what is that interpretation? Everyone knows it is stick.

Similarly, Kurukṣetra means that the place, still existing.

And in the Vedic sastra it is ordered, kuruksetre dharma yajayet.

You go… From time immemorial it is a place of pilgrimage.

Even Kṛṣṇa, during solar eclipse, Kṛṣṇa with His family, He came there, Jagannatha. The ceremony is there, Ratha-yatra.

Because Kṛṣṇa, Balarama and Subhadra came in the same chariot.

That is being performed.

So Kurukṣetra, dharmaksetra, at least five thousand years ago the system was that people used to come to Kurukṣetra as a place of pilgrimage, dharmaksetra.

And Kurukṣetra, the place is there.

And there the two family members, the Kurus and the Pandavas, they fought.

The Battle of Kurukṣetra took place. These things are evident.

Then why there is need of interpreting? That is the first point.

Guest: Those points are very clear.

Prabhupada: Every point is very clear. In the Bhagavad-gita, every point is very clear, unless you interpret it in the wrong way.

—Room Conversation with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

December 20, 1976, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Bombay</st1:City></st1:place>

full lecture: http://causelessmercy.com/t/t/761220rc.bom.htm