CC Madhya 9.102 (1975)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 102
- prabhu kahe,--gītā-pāṭhe tomārā-i adhikāra
- tumi se jānaha ei gītāra artha-sāra
SYNONYMS
prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; gītā-pāṭhe—in reading the Bhagavad-gītā; tomārāi adhikāra—you have the proper authority; tumi—you; se—that; jānaha—know; ei—this; gītāra—of the Bhagavad-gītā; artha-sāra—the real purport.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu told the brāhmaṇa, "Indeed, you are an authority in the reading of the Bhagavad-gītā. Whatever you know constitutes the real purport of the Bhagavad-gītā."
PURPORT
According to the śāstras: bhaktyā bhāgavataṁ grāhyaṁ na buddhyā na ca ṭīkayā. One should understand the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by hearing them from a real devotee. One cannot understand them simply by erudite scholarship or sharp intelligence. It is also said:
- gītādhītā ca yenāpi
- bhakti-bhāvena cetasā
- veda-śāstra-purāṇāni
- tenādhītāni sarvaśaḥ
To one who reads the Bhagavad-gītā with faith and devotion, the essence of Vedic knowledge is revealed. And according to the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.23):
- yasya deve parā bhaktir
- yathā deve tathā gurau
- tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
- prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
All Vedic scriptures are to be understood with faith and devotion, not by mundane scholarship. We therefore present the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. There are many so-called scholars and philosophers who read the Bhagavad-gītā in a scholarly way. They simply waste their time and mislead those who read their commentaries.