Questioner: I’m reading the Bhagavad Gita for the first time. I know people who have read the Bhagavad Gita multiple times, yet they continue being the same. And if one goes to them, they have their own interpretations of the Gita. They tell me that the five Pandavas stand for this, the battlefield stands for that, and then they keep telling me of all the symbolic meanings.
Do such interpretations have any value? Is there anything apart from Shri Krishna-Arjuna Saṃvad which is important in the Gita?
I want to know the right way of understanding and relating the Gita to my life. Please suggest what should be one's attitude towards the verses. How do I get the most out of this scripture?
Acharya Prashant: When Krishna is there to tell you things directly, why are you bringing in your own hyper-intelligent interpretations? You want to exceed Krishna or what? You are trying to see that in Krishna’s words which even he did not see. You are trying to fill the verses with a great meaning that the verses themselves would be surprised to hear.
Somebody says, "The five Pandavas stand for five senses." Right. Great. Just because Bheem is so nosy, you turned him into a nose! Somebody says, “You know what, the battle never took place; it is all symbolic!” And why does the fellow say this? Because this bugger is afraid to fight. This bugger has some fabulous concept of non-violence, and to defend that concept he says, “You see, Krishna could have never supported bloodshed.” His concept of non-violence says, "Violence is about shedding blood, and non-violence is about not bruising somebody’s body, that is non-violence. Don’t do this to the other, this is non-violence."
