Cc. Madhya 9.102

Text

prabhu kahe,—gītā-pāṭhe tomārā-i adhikāra
tumi se jānaha ei gītāra artha-sāra

Synonyms

prabhu kahe—the Lord replied; gita-pathe—in reading the Bhagavad-gītā; tomārāi adhikara—you have the proper authority; tumi—you; se—that; janaha—know; ei—this; gītāra—of the Bhagavad-gītā; artha-sara—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. ¶