How do you read Bhagavad Gita As It Is?

Hare Krishna Sushant Prabhuji,

It is so nice the way you practice recitation and study of Bhagavad Gita. By reading your reply it reminded one lecture of HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharat which explains important of recitation as below:

In Abudhabi on 23rd Septemeber 2011, we were listening to a class by our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj. Maharaj was singing the verse from Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.3

yah svaanubhaavam akhila shruti saaram ekam
adhyaatma deepam atititeer sataam tamondham
samsaarayaa karunaayaha puraana guhyam
tam vyaasa sunum upayaami gurum muninaam

"Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto him [Suka], the spiritual master of all sages, the son of Vyasadeva, who, out of his great compassion for those gross materialists who struggle to cross over the darkest regions of material existence, spoke this most confidential supplement to the cream of Vedic knowledge, after having personally assimilated it by experience."

This verse is generally sung in the way Brahma samhita is sung. But in this class we heard Maharaj singing it in a different lyric which was very sweet, loving and captivating. This made us all try to learn the recitation the way Maharaj was doing it. Anybody who has ever come in touch with our beloved Guur maharaj would not have left without learning to recite at least one verse form the scriptures in perfect lyric. Maharaj very meticulously and very lovingly and very earnestly makes any one who come to him, to learn the recitation of the verses in the perfect lyric and with great love. He taught us how to count the number of Sanskrit letters in each line, according to which the lyric changes. This is a unique and unparalleled contribution of Gurudev. The moment anybody remembers their association with Maharaj, they remember and sing the verse which Maharaj so lovingly taught them. He encouraged everyone from the young to the old to learn the proper way of recitation of the verses and he made it so simple. Maharaj literally made us love the verses from Srimad Bhagavatam which is non-different from the Supreme Lord Krishna who is wandering in the sound vibration of these verses (adrshta rupo vicarasy urusvanah - SB 5.18.26.) Here we will see a few points which make it very important to learn the verses in their proper lyric.

1. Our health improves: Maharaj says, "This chanting of Sanskrit verse improves the texture of the skin and that is why devotees appear a bit different from the ordinary crowd and if the texture of the skin improves, the blood is purified. This is breathing exercise, see, Hare...(Guru Maharaj shows how to chant and breathe out)....all the carbon dioxide is gone. With loving attention you should pronounce these things. See, Hare...Krishna.....(Guru Maharaj again chanting), see I am stopping. I fill up the nostril, then stop it and leave it through the other nostril. This is breathing exercise. According to Srimad Bhagavatam, there is only one exercise, this, you inhale with one nostril, stop it then for a while and release from the other nostril. Or you inhale the whole thing, stop it for a while and then again exhale. This is the only exercise, very simple, there is no complication. And these exercises are automatically done by chanting of the slokas. So those who are madly running here and there for their own health, they should sit silent and do these things. Pranayama is also there and Krishna smaran is also there. We have this diaphragm in our throat. This diaphragm can be damaged by anything. But if you recite the shlokas, it will not be damaged. I am not young. By this time, my voice must be shaky and vibrating. (With a transcendental smile Maharaj says) But it doesn't do that because I am always chanting Krishna's shlokas. So my diaphragm is intact. Otherwise in this life time, it gets affected with age. This is the proof that the old age doesn't touch you if you are engrossed in chanting His Names and these verses. Please, please for your own health - you forget about anything and everything and you come to this 24 hours a day."

2. Learning the verse by heart becomes easy: Maharaj says, "There are beautiful verses from Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and should be learnt by heart and sung very nicely because all scriptures are "geya" - that could be very nicely sung." Learning to sing the verses in the proper lyric makes it easy to get the verses by heart. We have the experience that anything in the song form becomes very easy to commit to memory. That is why the small children are taught the rhymes in any language in proper lyric. The Vedic mantras are also learnt by chanting them in the proper lyric. Maharaj says all these verses should be in our throat because they have emanated from the transcendental throat of the Lord and this becomes easy when we learn to chant them in the proper lyric.

3. The bhaava or feeling is evoked: Maharaj says, "Everyone must have his or her own pair of kartals as far as possible. Don't take revenge on kartals. It should only support our singing. Bhaava is very important and not kartal."‌ In Abudhabi once Maharaj trained us all to chant the verses along with the kartal. Krishna is called bhaava graahi janaardana. He takes the essence of our feelings for Him. When we sing the verses in the proper lyric, the bhaava is automatically invoked in our hearts. For example once Maharaj was taking a class on verse 1.7.22

arjuna uvaaca
krishna krishna mahaa-baaho / bhaktaanaaam abhayankara
tvam eko dahyamaanaanaam / apavargo 'si samsrteh

Arjuna said: "O my Lord Shri Krishna, You are the almighty Personality of Godhead. There is no limit to Your different energies. Therefore only You are competent to instill fearlessness in the hearts of Your devotees. Everyone in the flames of material miseries can find the path of liberation in You only."

Here Arjuna is taking the shelter of Krishna being very much afraid of the Brahmastra weapon sent by Asvatthama. When Maharaj asked the devotees to recite the verse, he found that they were reciting it in a very relaxed manner without entering into the mood of Arjuna, who is in great danger and calling out to the Lord. Maharaj chastised them and said, "You are reciting as if you are comfortably seated in your sofa set and reciting. Arjuna is in great danger, man. Bring out that mood. You should shout to Krishna." Then Maharaj recited the verse in a very intense mood of calling out the Lord and the lyric is so wonderful, hearing which the hairs on our body stand on end. When we sing in the proper lyric, even though we may not understand the meaning of the verse, the mood is automatically evoked in us. This is the power of the lyric. Maharaj loves another lyric which is called Manda aakranta. Maharaj sings the verse "barhaapidam nata vara vapuh" (verse 10.21.5) from Srimad Bhagavatam in this lyric. 'Manda' means slowly and 'akranta' means crying out to the Lord with great feeling. When Maharaj recites in this lyric, we really feel this crying out to the Lord.

4. Pronounciation becomes perfect : Maharaj says, "The beauty of Mahamantra is that it can fit into any lyric. You sing the lyric and you will be able to fit into it. By doing so you are with it. It takes a bit of time to understand these things and get into the lyric. But please try to study Bhagavad Gita verses. These lyrics are in-built in the verses. You cannot - but have to sing in that lyric. If you pronounce the short and long letters nicely and sing the shloka, then eventually it will fit the lyric. It is not that something we have to force ourselves. But sincerity of purpose is required. But I am sorry to say that most of the time we are not sincere. (With deep humility Maharaj says) I am also not sincere. But we must somehow force ourselves to be sincere. The more you are sincere about the purpose, it will just come."

5. Captivating the hearts: The brilliance and the beauty of the lyrics is so enchanting and captivating our hearts. Anybody who has seen and heard Maharaj chanting the verse, "hantaasmin janmani bhavaan" from Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.21, would never forget the verse and its meaning. It is just like the whole pastime is enacted before us. This way the verse remains etched in our heart and memory and it is like a light house which guides us all through our life till the end of our lives.

6. Krishna enjoys the lyric: Last but not the least; Krishna enjoys the verses sung in proper lyric as we see from SB verse 3.8.6

muhur grnanto vacasaanuraaga- / skhalat-padenaasya krtaani taj-jnaah
kireeta-saahasra-mani-praveka- / pradyotitoddaama-phanaa-sahasram

"The four Kumaaras, headed by Sanat-kumara, who all knew the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, glorified the Lord in rhythmic accents with selected words full of affection and love. At that time Lord Sankarshana, with His thousands of raised hoods, began to radiate an effulgence from the glowing stones on His head."

Here the words 'anuraaga' meaning with great affection and 'skhalat padena' meaning in symmetrical rhythm are very important. When the verses are sung with great affection and in symmetrical rhythm we see that Lord Sankarshana becomes extremely pleased and He radiates effulgence. This is the perfect way to please the Lord that Maharaj has taught us. In his lecture on SB verse 1.9.31, Maharaj says that verse should be sung in the lyric of 'kavim puraanam'‌(BG 8.9) and also mentions that Krishna likes it very much and whenever He wants to enjoy Krishna uses this lyric. If the Lord can be pleased simply by our singing of the verses in the proper lyric, which our beloved Maharaj has taught us with care and love, why do we not try this? Let us carry on the legend of learning the lyrics handed over to us by our beloved Guru Maharaj for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord.

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
Vaijayanti mala devi dasi,
Abu Dhabi.

Replies

This reply was deleted.
- Volunteer
  
  Gadadhar das February 7, 2013 at 4:35pm
  
  Hare Krishna Sushant Prabhuji,
  
  It is so nice the way you practice recitation and study of Bhagavad Gita. By reading your reply it reminded one lecture of HH Mahavishnu Goswami Maharat which explains important of recitation as below:
  
  In Abudhabi on 23rd Septemeber 2011, we were listening to a class by our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj. Maharaj was singing the verse from Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.3
  
  yah svaanubhaavam akhila shruti saaram ekam
  adhyaatma deepam atititeer sataam tamondham
  samsaarayaa karunaayaha puraana guhyam
  tam vyaasa sunum upayaami gurum muninaam
  
  "Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto him [Suka], the spiritual master of all sages, the son of Vyasadeva, who, out of his great compassion for those gross materialists who struggle to cross over the darkest regions of material existence, spoke this most confidential supplement to the cream of Vedic knowledge, after having personally assimilated it by experience."
  
  This verse is generally sung in the way Brahma samhita is sung. But in this class we heard Maharaj singing it in a different lyric which was very sweet, loving and captivating. This made us all try to learn the recitation the way Maharaj was doing it. Anybody who has ever come in touch with our beloved Guur maharaj would not have left without learning to recite at least one verse form the scriptures in perfect lyric. Maharaj very meticulously and very lovingly and very earnestly makes any one who come to him, to learn the recitation of the verses in the perfect lyric and with great love. He taught us how to count the number of Sanskrit letters in each line, according to which the lyric changes. This is a unique and unparalleled contribution of Gurudev. The moment anybody remembers their association with Maharaj, they remember and sing the verse which Maharaj so lovingly taught them. He encouraged everyone from the young to the old to learn the proper way of recitation of the verses and he made it so simple. Maharaj literally made us love the verses from Srimad Bhagavatam which is non-different from the Supreme Lord Krishna who is wandering in the sound vibration of these verses (adrshta rupo vicarasy urusvanah - SB 5.18.26.) Here we will see a few points which make it very important to learn the verses in their proper lyric.
  
  1. Our health improves: Maharaj says, "This chanting of Sanskrit verse improves the texture of the skin and that is why devotees appear a bit different from the ordinary crowd and if the texture of the skin improves, the blood is purified. This is breathing exercise, see, Hare...(Guru Maharaj shows how to chant and breathe out)....all the carbon dioxide is gone. With loving attention you should pronounce these things. See, Hare...Krishna.....(Guru Maharaj again chanting), see I am stopping. I fill up the nostril, then stop it and leave it through the other nostril. This is breathing exercise. According to Srimad Bhagavatam, there is only one exercise, this, you inhale with one nostril, stop it then for a while and release from the other nostril. Or you inhale the whole thing, stop it for a while and then again exhale. This is the only exercise, very simple, there is no complication. And these exercises are automatically done by chanting of the slokas. So those who are madly running here and there for their own health, they should sit silent and do these things. Pranayama is also there and Krishna smaran is also there. We have this diaphragm in our throat. This diaphragm can be damaged by anything. But if you recite the shlokas, it will not be damaged. I am not young. By this time, my voice must be shaky and vibrating. (With a transcendental smile Maharaj says) But it doesn't do that because I am always chanting Krishna's shlokas. So my diaphragm is intact. Otherwise in this life time, it gets affected with age. This is the proof that the old age doesn't touch you if you are engrossed in chanting His Names and these verses. Please, please for your own health - you forget about anything and everything and you come to this 24 hours a day."
  
  2. Learning the verse by heart becomes easy: Maharaj says, "There are beautiful verses from Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and should be learnt by heart and sung very nicely because all scriptures are "geya" - that could be very nicely sung." Learning to sing the verses in the proper lyric makes it easy to get the verses by heart. We have the experience that anything in the song form becomes very easy to commit to memory. That is why the small children are taught the rhymes in any language in proper lyric. The Vedic mantras are also learnt by chanting them in the proper lyric. Maharaj says all these verses should be in our throat because they have emanated from the transcendental throat of the Lord and this becomes easy when we learn to chant them in the proper lyric.
  
  3. The bhaava or feeling is evoked: Maharaj says, "Everyone must have his or her own pair of kartals as far as possible. Don't take revenge on kartals. It should only support our singing. Bhaava is very important and not kartal."‌ In Abudhabi once Maharaj trained us all to chant the verses along with the kartal. Krishna is called bhaava graahi janaardana. He takes the essence of our feelings for Him. When we sing the verses in the proper lyric, the bhaava is automatically invoked in our hearts. For example once Maharaj was taking a class on verse 1.7.22
  
  arjuna uvaaca
  krishna krishna mahaa-baaho / bhaktaanaaam abhayankara
  tvam eko dahyamaanaanaam / apavargo 'si samsrteh
  
  Arjuna said: "O my Lord Shri Krishna, You are the almighty Personality of Godhead. There is no limit to Your different energies. Therefore only You are competent to instill fearlessness in the hearts of Your devotees. Everyone in the flames of material miseries can find the path of liberation in You only."
  
  Here Arjuna is taking the shelter of Krishna being very much afraid of the Brahmastra weapon sent by Asvatthama. When Maharaj asked the devotees to recite the verse, he found that they were reciting it in a very relaxed manner without entering into the mood of Arjuna, who is in great danger and calling out to the Lord. Maharaj chastised them and said, "You are reciting as if you are comfortably seated in your sofa set and reciting. Arjuna is in great danger, man. Bring out that mood. You should shout to Krishna." Then Maharaj recited the verse in a very intense mood of calling out the Lord and the lyric is so wonderful, hearing which the hairs on our body stand on end. When we sing in the proper lyric, even though we may not understand the meaning of the verse, the mood is automatically evoked in us. This is the power of the lyric. Maharaj loves another lyric which is called Manda aakranta. Maharaj sings the verse "barhaapidam nata vara vapuh" (verse 10.21.5) from Srimad Bhagavatam in this lyric. 'Manda' means slowly and 'akranta' means crying out to the Lord with great feeling. When Maharaj recites in this lyric, we really feel this crying out to the Lord.
  
  4. Pronounciation becomes perfect : Maharaj says, "The beauty of Mahamantra is that it can fit into any lyric. You sing the lyric and you will be able to fit into it. By doing so you are with it. It takes a bit of time to understand these things and get into the lyric. But please try to study Bhagavad Gita verses. These lyrics are in-built in the verses. You cannot - but have to sing in that lyric. If you pronounce the short and long letters nicely and sing the shloka, then eventually it will fit the lyric. It is not that something we have to force ourselves. But sincerity of purpose is required. But I am sorry to say that most of the time we are not sincere. (With deep humility Maharaj says) I am also not sincere. But we must somehow force ourselves to be sincere. The more you are sincere about the purpose, it will just come."
  
  5. Captivating the hearts: The brilliance and the beauty of the lyrics is so enchanting and captivating our hearts. Anybody who has seen and heard Maharaj chanting the verse, "hantaasmin janmani bhavaan" from Srimad Bhagavatam 1.6.21, would never forget the verse and its meaning. It is just like the whole pastime is enacted before us. This way the verse remains etched in our heart and memory and it is like a light house which guides us all through our life till the end of our lives.
  
  6. Krishna enjoys the lyric: Last but not the least; Krishna enjoys the verses sung in proper lyric as we see from SB verse 3.8.6
  
  muhur grnanto vacasaanuraaga- / skhalat-padenaasya krtaani taj-jnaah
  kireeta-saahasra-mani-praveka- / pradyotitoddaama-phanaa-sahasram
  
  "The four Kumaaras, headed by Sanat-kumara, who all knew the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, glorified the Lord in rhythmic accents with selected words full of affection and love. At that time Lord Sankarshana, with His thousands of raised hoods, began to radiate an effulgence from the glowing stones on His head."
  
  Here the words 'anuraaga' meaning with great affection and 'skhalat padena' meaning in symmetrical rhythm are very important. When the verses are sung with great affection and in symmetrical rhythm we see that Lord Sankarshana becomes extremely pleased and He radiates effulgence. This is the perfect way to please the Lord that Maharaj has taught us. In his lecture on SB verse 1.9.31, Maharaj says that verse should be sung in the lyric of 'kavim puraanam'‌(BG 8.9) and also mentions that Krishna likes it very much and whenever He wants to enjoy Krishna uses this lyric. If the Lord can be pleased simply by our singing of the verses in the proper lyric, which our beloved Maharaj has taught us with care and love, why do we not try this? Let us carry on the legend of learning the lyrics handed over to us by our beloved Guru Maharaj for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord.
  
  Thank you very much.
  Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
  Vaijayanti mala devi dasi,
  Abu Dhabi.
  - Saurabh > Gadadhar das February 7, 2013 at 4:54pm
    
    Hari Bol!
    
    All glories to Srila Prabhupad!
    
    All Glories to Guru Maharaj!
    
    And All Glories to Gaur Gadadhar Pr for giving us their message!
    
    yas
- Shivanie Chetty February 5, 2013 at 3:38pm
  
  Hari bol Prabhu
  
  PAMHO AGTSP
  
  Thank you for replying, in the morning when you read, do you leave out reading the purports?
  
  Hare Krsna
  
  ys
  
  SC
  - This reply was deleted.
    - Shivanie Chetty February 5, 2013 at 7:46pm
      
      Hare Krsna
      
      PAMHO AGTSP
      
      Thank you Prabhu, I'd like to try that:)
      
      hari bol
      
      ys

This reply was deleted.