Gita Jayanti 2024: How to read the Bhagavad Gita

Srila Prabhupada has explained, “When a sincere devotee reads the Bhagavad Gita properly, it is said to be as good as seeing the Lord face-to-face in His presence.” Can you imagine this? This is the promise of Lord Krishna.
If you read the Bhagavad Gita properly, you will have the experience of seeing Krishna face-to-face. This is as good as being in Krishna’s personal presence, just like when you are in the presence of Krishna, you experience something transcendental. Transcendental bliss is a tranquil, happy and peaceful situation that puts an end to all the misery. But first of all, you should be anxious and eager to read the Bhagavad Gita as it brings a certain kind of intensity, seriousness and focus, which is essential in this process to understand its true essence.
To give an example, one very powerful thing we experience in daily life is the sun. You can't even look directly at the sun because it is so blazing and full of power. Imagine this, in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 11, when Krishna reveals His universal form to Arjuna, it is described as if 1,000 suns were to rise simultaneously in the sky. Can you imagine one sun? It’s dazzling! Now imagine 1,000 suns rising together. Even that is a faint comparison to the true potency of Krishna.
All the potencies of Krishna are present in the Bhagavad Gita, but only if it is read as recommended by the Lord Himself. Krishna has disclosed a process for understanding the Bhagavad Gita. If it is read in the way Krishna recommends, one can experience the unlimited potency of the Lord. Otherwise, it becomes a mundane experience.
Bhagavad Gita is not the book that you read, appreciate and understand. It is a book that you read, understand and perceive, which provides an experience. Reading the Bhagavad Gita is like tasting honey. If you merely lick the bottle from outside, you might get some sweetness from the residue, but you won’t truly experience the honey. To taste honey, you need to open the jar, scoop it with a spoon, and put it on your tongue. Similarly, to truly understand the Bhagavad Gita, you must approach it in the way Krishna recommends. Krishna Himself states the process that, one must approach a bonafide spiritual master, well-versed in the Bhagavad Gita and surrender to the spiritual master, serve him, and inquire from him.
Without this approach, one cannot understand the true import of the Bhagavad Gita. Another important thing is that we need to approach the Bhagavad Gita as a devotee just like Arjuna, with devotion; only then we can truly understand the meaning of this confidential knowledge.
For example, Arjuna accepted Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and approached Him with full surrender and faith. Arjuna understood that Krishna was not just his cousin or friend but the ultimate reality—Param Brahma (Supreme Absolute Truth) and Param Dhama (Supreme Destination or Abode).
When we approach the Bhagavad Gita with the same faith and devotion as Arjuna, we can truly understand and experience its teachings. This is the recommended process for reading and understanding the Bhagavad Gita.
On the other hand, anyone who tries to extract artificial meanings or interpretations from the Bhagavad Gita for ulterior motives is missing the essence. Such an approach will not yield the true transcendental experience that the Bhagavad Gita offers.
The following article is taken from a spiritual discourse given by Sri Chanchalapathi Dasa, President - Vrindavan Heritage Tower and Vice Chairman & Co-Mentor- Hare Krishna Movement