CHAPTER 1, TEXT 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, desiring to fight, what did they do?
The Bhagavad-gita is a timeless scripture that has guided millions of people for thousands of years to learn the truth of the soul and love, and the purpose of life. And yet this wondrous scripture transpires within a few hours on the cusp of a great battle. Two armies are facing off. There will be untold death upon the battlefield today, blood will soak the ground and run in rivers.
What's more, this is a fratricidal war, which means that brothers will kill brothers, fathers will kill sons, uncles will kill nephews.
In fact, the very first verse of the Bhagavad-gita begins with the inquiry of King Dhrtarastra inquiring about the activities of his own noble nephews, whom he fears and wants to be defeated and killed.
The Bhagavad-gita is a timeless scripture that has guided millions of people for thousands of years to learn the truth of the soul and love, and the purpose of life. And yet this wondrous scripture transpires within a few hours on the cusp of a great battle. Two armies are facing off. There will be untold death upon the battlefield today, blood will soak the ground and run in rivers.
What's more, this is a fratricidal war, which means that brothers will kill brothers, fathers will kill sons, uncles will kill nephews.
In fact, the very first verse of the Bhagavad-gita begins with the inquiry of King Dhrtarastra inquiring about the activities of his own noble nephews, whom he fears and wants to be defeated and killed.
How is this supposed to be the setting for a scripture that teaches the truth of the soul and love, and the purpose of life?
How?
My husband, Ghanashyam, shared yesterday in his scripture class that being in a spirit of inquiry does not mean to always ask questions. Indeed, Dhrtarastra is asking questions here but he is doing so out of fear and to protect his own interests. Someone who asks a lot of questions could actually not be in a spirit of inquiry - they could just be doing some mental gymnastics or engaging in an ego battle. But someone who is quietly listening in the back of the room who never asks a question could actually be in the spirit of inquiry. Radhanath Swami then shared with Ghanashyam that a true spirit of inquiry is the sincere desire to know the truth. To remain open, curious, and present, even without a direct question.
In this sense, Prabhupad writes that "One should read Bhagavad-gita very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Sri Krsna and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations" (33). Prabhupad emphasizes that one must scrutinize with help. Studying this scripture is not a solitary practice - we need guidance and direction. What's more, the qualification of the guide must be that s/he is a "devotee of Sri Krsna." Not a scholar, a devotee. This must mean that someone is devoted to Krsna, and devotion entails service, even love.
If I want to know the truth and I approach a devotee of Sri Krsna for guidance, that seems like a pretty solid foundation for being in a true spirit of inquiry. But Prabhupad emphasizes that one must try to understand the Gita without any "personally motivated interpretations." What does that mean? Personally motivated interpretations?
I once knew a man who committed with 100% conviction that he would read the Bhagavad-gita As It Is from cover to cover within a few months.
He never got past the second chapter. He later shared that his mind was too full of debilitating doubts and questions and even repulsion and disgust.
Why?
Could this same fate befall me?
To embark upon the journey of reading the Gita is no ordinary feat - its not like reading the latest bestseller. The Gita is alive and cannot be read or understood without blessings. Prabhupad offers clear parameters: 1) scrutiny, 2) help from a devotee, and 3) be without personally motivated interpretations.
You can see why I'm rather nervous in this endeavor to read and share my realizations on the Gita. I wonder if I'll make it past the second chapter. Although I'm scrutinizing with my intelligence (check) and receiving the help from a devotee - Srila Prabhupad and Ghanashyam and I'm sure many others over the next few months (check), I have to wonder about having a personally motivated interpretation (...check??). I don't want to twist and form the words of the Gita to fit my own personal and political agenda, to justify beliefs and ideas that could be destructive.
The key words in the title of Prabhupad's version of the Gita are: As It Is. In this sense, Prabhupad does not have any personally motivated interpretation. He's not translating and commentating on the Gita for his own ends - to make disciples, make money, get famous, etc. etc.
He is simply sharing the Gita, As It Is.
I want my reflections to be in this spirit of As It Is. Prabhupad emphasizes that if one approaches the Gita in the proper spirit of inquiry, "he surpasses all studies of Vedic wisdom, and all scriptures of the world" (33). What a beautiful vision. Surpassing studies of all Vedic and world scriptures is not about being a great scholar of Sanskrit or history or philosophy. This inquiry must come from a sincere, humble space from within the heart. A sacred space.
I do not want to twist and manipulate the setting of the opening of the Gita to fit my own personally motivated interpretation. I trust that if the setting of this scripture is a fratricidal war where blood will soon soak the ground and run in rivers, then there is a reason.
I don't know that reason.
But I trust that the dear devotee of Sri Krsna, Srila Prabhupad, will guide me in time.
sincerely,
bhakti
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