Gita: Beware false interpretations || Acharya Prashant, with NIT-Calicut (2022)

Questioner (Q): Good afternoon, Sir. I have a doubt. In the market, there are a number of Bhagavad Gitas available. Somebody told me that there are eighty varieties of the Gita. Even though the slokas are the same, from what I have seen, the explanation was not making sense. In two, or three Gitas that I’ve seen, the explanation is not matching. Since Gita was explained by Sri Krishna some thousands of years before, so how can I ensure that whatever is available is pure only, and it is not impure? It is not changed by somebody for their own benefit.

Also, I’ve seen that in some Gita, the Karma Yog is the best yoga explained, and in some other Gita, the Bhakti Yog is the best yoga they have explained. And in the Gita, it is believed that it is saying about re-birth or previous birth. But in Ashtanga Yog, it is written that previous birth and re-birth do not exist. There are many things that do not match if we compare the Gita to other scriptures.

Acharya Prashant (AP): See, first of all, avoid the commentary part. It is in the commentary part that the maximum kind of adulteration takes place. That’s where the various commentators push their agenda. Try limiting yourself to just the translation of the verses. And go for translations where you know for sure that each word has been individually and correctly translated into your preferred language. The preferred language could be Hindi, Tamil, English, or whatever. Right? There is no need to read detailed commentaries. That’s the first thing, that’s where the maximum mischief takes place and that must be avoided. Secondly, remember that Gita has to agree with the Upanishads. The Gita cannot have anything that goes against the basic tenets of Vedanta. Right? So, if the verses of the Gita are being interpreted to mean something that is not at all in sync with the Vedantic philosophy, then that particular interpretation has to be immediately rejected.