View source for That is the first thing wanted. If you want to understand Bhagavad-gita, then you must take the direction from the Bhagavad-gita

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[[Category:That Is]]
[[Category:First Thing]]
[[Category:That is Wanted]]
[[Category:If You Want To]]
[[Category:Understanding Bhagavad-gita]]
[[Category:Then]]
[[Category:You Must]]
[[Category:Take]]
[[Category:Direction]]
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[[Category:Bhagavad-gita]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG71AucklandApril151972_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="233" link="Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Auckland, April 15, 1972" link_text="Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Auckland, April 15, 1972">
<div class="heading">You try to understand this science by praṇipāta, praṇipātena, by surrendering, not by serving yourself, that "I am very learned scholar. Why shall I surrender?" No. That is the first thing wanted. If you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, then you must take the direction from the Bhagavad-gītā.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Auckland, April 15, 1972|Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Auckland, April 15, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So this is the process of studying Bhagavad-gītā. So if you study Bhagavad-gītā and conclude that the Absolute Truth is nirākāra, I don't think you are making very much progress. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā ([[Vanisource:BG 4.34|BG 4.34]]). You try to understand this science by praṇipāta, praṇipātena, by surrendering, not by serving yourself, that "I am very learned scholar. Why shall I surrender?" No. That is the first thing wanted. If you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, then you must take the direction from the Bhagavad-gītā. The first direction is evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 4.2|BG 4.2]]). "All the rājarṣis, they understood Bhagavad-gītā by the paramparā system." That paramparā system, Kṛṣṇa also says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: ([[Vanisource:BG 4.1|BG 4.1]]) "I spoke first of all this system of yoga system mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā." That is bhakti-yoga. What is that yoga system? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66|BG 18.66]]). This is the ultimate instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15|BG 15.15]]). "All the Vedas, they are teaching only to understand Me, Kṛṣṇa."</p>
<p>So if we do not understand Kṛṣṇa as He is, although He is explaining, all the ācāryas are explaining... In our country... You come from India. In our country there are big, five ācāryas who is practically controlling the Hindu society or the Vedic society: Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So we have to follow the footprints, the footsteps of the ācāryas. That is mentioned in the... Ācāryopāsanam. If you want to advance in knowledge, then you must worship the ācāryas. Otherwise what knowledge you will get? You cannot get, manufacturing knowledge or getting knowledge from somebody who has manufactured knowledge. The knowledge must be received by paramparā, by paramparā, as Kṛṣṇa says. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam ([[Vanisource:BG 4.2|BG 4.2]]), sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. He again spoke the science of Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna because the paramparā was broken. Sa kāleneha naṣṭaḥ. Otherwise there was no need of speaking Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna. And why He selected Arjuna to understand Bhagavad-gītā? That is also explained. One may say that Arjuna was a gṛhastha, householder, and a politician and a soldier. Why Bhagavad-gītā was instructed to him? That is natural. He was not a vedāntī. He was not a brāhmaṇa. He was not a sannyāsī. Why he was selected to understand Bhagavad-gītā? This should be... There should be inquiry. Generally you understand that a vedāntī, a sannyāsī, a brāhmaṇa may know about spiritual knowledge, about God. No, that is not the fact. The fact is, as Kṛṣṇa says, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam: ([[Vanisource:BG 4.3|BG 4.3]]) "Because you are My devotee, because you are My dear friend, you can understand the mystery of Bhagavad-gītā."</p>
<p>So the ordinary man who is either Kṛṣṇa conscious nor a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot explain Bhagavad-gītā. Whatever they are explaining they are simply spoiling their time and others' also, big, big scholars—I do not wish to discuss—simply misled. Now this movement has begun to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is, and people are taking. People are accepting. So you Indians who are present here, that is my request, that you can do tremendous service on behalf of your country.</p>
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