How do you study Bhagavad Gita?

[jayaisvara 0]

Dear devotees,

 

How does one go about studying Gita seriously?

[Pankaja_Dasa 1]

 

I am trying myself. Take notes while you read to tell your mind what it learnt. I say be dynamic.. Study whatever is best for you. Make charts, picto graphs. Its a huge jigsaw puzzle for me. Which needs to be put together.

 

Before I tried to study various ways. Tapes etc. I sort of found just reading with faith is the best thing. Its not a material book you can just understand, its transcendental!

[krsna 3]

Gita As It Is is a Living Moment to Moment Krsna Melody played sweetly by Sri Krsna Bhagavan.

 

Pray for a good Gita teacher.

 

If you find one please let me know as I need to enroll in this Gita Class also.

 

Haribol

 

Krsna das

[Guest guest]

That is an easy question! You read Bhagavad Gita As It Is. You set aside about an hour a day and quietly and attentively READ IT! There is no magic formula. You just follow Prabhupada's instructions to read. Prabhupada explains everything in His purports. Prabhupada told one devotee when asked what to do if you don't understand something and Prabhupada said to read it over again and you will understand.

 

It is so simple.

[jayaisvara 0]

For me I think comparing what I read and seeing it practically when that vision, no matter how vague, shows itself to me. That sort of practical application works great. You are right though, its transcendental so the approach to understanding should also be different.

 

I need to get a job for awhile and get some sort of a job, if I Lord wants me to, and use that money to buy some CD's from Vaisnava Maharaja's who have lecture CD's. So I guess until then, maybe Lord want's me to do something else.

 

When Sri Krsna Bhagavan says that we should sacrifice our intellect by studying Gita, how do we sacrifice the intellect? Is it like making or trying to see Sri Krsna in all the material sciences/subjects as well as spiritual? Or is it something else.

 

Thank you for sharing your opinions.

[Pankaja_Dasa 1]

 

 

Bg.8.7

TRANSLATION

Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.

 

PURPORT

This instruction to Arjuna is very important for all men engaged in material activities. The Lord does not say that one should give up his prescribed duties or engagements. One can continue them and at the same time think of Krsna by chanting Hare Krsna. This will free one from material contamination and engage the mind and intelligence in Krsna. By chanting Krsna's names, one will be transferred to the supreme planet, Krsnaloka, without a doubt.

--

 

Looks like engaging the mind in Gita is a sacrifice.

 

Activities, mind and intelligence. [Call them the 3 amigos]

Ego, mind and intelligence.

[Activities-Material]

 

Krishna says engage them in Kishna Consciousness. And Prabhupada confirms by telling us to chant Hare Krishna.

 

Thus ends Gita Study hehe /images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Guest guest]

" Is it like making or trying to see Sri Krsna in all the material sciences/subjects as well as spiritual? Or is it something else."

 

that's like realizing brahman artificially and mentally..

 

you have simply to follow acharya's instructions:

 

chant hare krsna

read shastras

take initiation from a present living spiritual master

respect the regulative principles he has given to you

 

in this way you'll learn the gita, mind can be controlled only by sri krsna, He can conquer your mind, your mind cannot conquer krsna...

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Jayaisvara,

I have heard personally from a number of acharyas including Prabhupad that Bhagavad Gita should always be studied in Sadhu sanga-- the company of sainly realized souls if the true transmission of the lords meaning is to be received, otherwise there is But to receive purports from surrendered souls in the descending process is more certain we get the picture of His meaning, and even in some cases sweeter nectar will manifest by the Lords grace, He may reveal ever deeper and deeper inner purports, if the receiver is genuinely submissive, from each jewell of these living instructions can come inumerable facets of realization in the right company.

It's all in who you hear it from not what we mentally speculate it's about. Even Srila Prabhupads perfect Gita can be misconstrued.

Spiritual Knowledge has to be constantly guarded or corruption will creep in, that is why Guru parampara exists to confirm our understanding of these things in time and ever-changing circumstances. Anyone can have opinions about what Krsna means, but there were so many B.G's before Prabhupad arrived in the arena then his authority clarified so many misconceptions.

Of coarse this leads to the next question. Where do you find these surrendered souls? There obviously ain't one in each neighbourhood. And if we are not fortunate enough to get the dharsan of the more advanced vaisnavas then we should try and adjust our lives to hear from their followers who are trying to pass on the Truth as they have received it and hopefully thru their loving directions inspiration will come to make connection to a pure devotee of Krishna. After all that is the teaching of B.G.

[Guest guest]

I have have heard personally from a number of acharyas including Prabhupad that Bhagavad Gita should always be studied in Sadhu sanga-- the company of sainly realized souls if the true transmission of the lords meaning is to be received, otherwise there is every chance that corruption can creep in. But to receive purports from surrendered souls in the descending process is more certain we get the picture of His meaning, and even in some cases sweeter nectar will manifest by the Lords grace, He may reveal ever deeper and deeper inner purports, if the receiver is genuinely submissive, from each jewell of these living instructions can come inumerable facets of realization in the right company.

 

[jayaisvara 0]

Thats nice answer and its the truth. Thanks for the replies devotees

[Guest guest]

 

The Bhagavad-gita is a process, not a book. To learn the Gita, we do the Gita. We follow the instuctions given by Lord Krishna. That is learning the Bhagavad-gita. There is no other way. It is not about the mind and words.

 

[jayaisvara 0]

I never thought of it that way. I thought that Gita was something else, I am not quite sure what, although I know its sacred (although I don't know its full sacredness) and its the conversation between God and His devotee.

 

Thanks guest for that nice explanation. If it is a process though, then when trying to understand each verse, should I only move on to the next verse after understanding the first verse? Because I simply can't understand everyday a new verse, thats impossible for me.

[gHari 0]

We can't understand many verses in the beginning, and many verses we think we understand we really won't understand until a year from Tuesday. But Lord Krishna teaches several yoga techniques, each of which can be applied to varying degrees even in this polluted age. What we don't understand will eventually be learned through these various yogic processes.

 

If I write a book about surfing, describing the various techniques and terms, you can really not call yourself a surfer just from reading the book. You have to go to the beach and try, and then practice the lessons and techniques I have described in the book. Someone may know every word I wrote, and even understand the reasons and physics behind the various secrets of surfing, yet until they climb on a surfboard, make the mistakes, bounce off the coral, and eventually hang ten on a monster wave they will simply be licking the outside of the honey bottle. They may seem impressive to the babes in the bar, but certainly not to the gnarly dudes at the break who have been there, done that, and have the T-shirt to prove it.

 

So when Lord Krishna says "For those who have conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached", the real surfer understands this truth because he has tasted this honey by detaching his senses from their objects like a tortoise and by constantly remembering Krsna as the Cause of All Causes, etc., etc. He has hung ten, conquered the mind and reached the Supersoul. Now they are not merely words; they are understanding. The words point the way, but we must walk from there to uncover the truth they simultaneously hide and reveal.

 

Surf's up, O mighty-armed Arjuna!

 

[jayaisvara 0]

thanks gHari prabhu, I think you are trying to say theory and application works.

[gHari 0]

.... are proven by experiment, understood to the bone by experiment and observation.

 

The ingredients: the senses, the objects of the senses, the mind, the false ego, the intelligence, the soul, and the Supersoul are mixed according to the defined formulae and procedures, thereby producing bhakti, resulting in the revelation of the eternal self and Sri Krsna. We have the ingredients of the experiment; we need only to execute.

 

To study this science, the Experiments are absolutely necessary. That is why the Supreme Scientist has clearly defined the procedures for the Experiments. Would we believe that a tiny atom being split open would create a huge explosion, without having witnessed it? Will we believe that the soul is more powerful than the sun unless we witness it? Words become reality upon observation.

 

 

[jayaisvara 0]

That day, when we realize that, will be a very nice day /images/graemlins/smile.gif