“Your Bhagavad-gita reading is perfect”

Krishna and Arjuna, Bhubaneswar 38th ISTE

Prabhupada, Los Angeles, November 25, 1968: When Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India in a big temple, Ranganatha temple, He went to see the Deity, and He saw one brahmana was reading Bhagavad-gita. And people were joking him, “Oh, Mr. brahmana, how you are reading Bhagavad-gita?” Because they were the neighbors, they knew that this brahmana was illiterate and he was studying Bhagavad-gita.

So they were joking. But the brahmana did not care them. He was taking the book and in his own way he was reading. Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw this incident, He came to the brahmana. So He asked the brahmana, “My dear brahmana, what you are reading?” So he could understand “This persons is not joking with me; He is serious.” So he explained, “My dear sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gita. Unfortunately, I am illiterate.

I do not know even the alphabets.” “Why you are reading Bhagavad-gita?” So he said that, “My spiritual master knows that I am illiterate, but still, he has asked me to read Bhagavad-gita. What can I do? Therefore I have taken this book. I am seeing simply. I do not know how to read.” “Oh, that’s all right. You cannot read. But I see that you are crying. How you are crying if you are not reading?” “Yes, I am crying. Of course, there is cause.” “What is that?”

“As soon as I take this Bhagavad-gita, I remember Krishna. Krishna is sitting as driver and Arjuna is hearing. I have heard the story. I know something of the instruction but cannot read. So as soon as I take this book, this picture comes before me and I simply think, ‘Oh, how Krishna is nice that He has become a charioteer of His devotee. He is so great. Still, He has accepted a menial service of His devotee.’ This gives me so much pleasure that I cry.”

Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced him, “Your Bhagavad-gita reading is perfect. You have taken the essence.” So this is the thing. If you simply remember Krishna is teaching Arjuna and Arjuna is hearing, if you simply remember the picture, that is sufficient.

Even if you think that you cannot read. Because after all we have to become Krishna conscious. We haven’t got to become a learned man to argue with another learned man. If it is possible we can do that, but that does not make any difference if I cannot argue with others or if I cannot teach very nicely Bhagavad-gita to others.

Simply if I remember this picture, that is perfection. Because we have to become Krishna conscious. We have to simply think of Krishna. You think in any way. That is your perfection. Smartavyah satatam vishnuh. This is the injunction. You have to think of Vishnu always. This is samadhi; this is meditation; this is yoga siddhi, perfection of yoga. Full Lecture