| Sri Sankara
says: Read and recite the Gita. And sing the thousand names of God. What is the object of
this two-fold instruction? It is that the learning, which will make a mere scholar of you,
will be of no avail. To be qualified to sing the sacred names of God, there must be
devotion in the heart. Even if there is a little of that devotion, it will increase in
course of time. One must read holy books with a mind full of devotion. Without devotion, one cannot get at the real purport of a holy book.
Do we not leave our footwear outside the temple gate when we go in? Even so, before we
take up a holy book to read we must put aside the tendency to search for faults. We must
begin the reading with devotion. Those who read the Gita with devotion would find much of
value in it.
Those who are research-minded and have no devotion will see
in it confusion and repetition and many faults. Careful reading of the Gita will give you
knowledge of Sanskrit. That is a Mere reading without devotion will not avail. If we read
with devotion, we will not be tainted by the pride of scholarship. On the other hand, our
hearts will be filled with humility, with love and with real joy. |
