This summary is about the way of reading the Gita. It does not open the teaching of any verse. It only tells the method of reading.

In order, this is the second stop of "Beginning the Gita". Before it is What Is the Gita?, and after it comes The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance.

The answer in one line

Read in order the first time. Keep one plain translation. Meet the verse yourself first, and then read one commentary with it. And carry one question of your own.

The Gita itself teaches this: knowledge comes through humility, questions and service (Gita 4.34), and at the end, "having reflected fully, do as you wish" (Gita 18.63). Reading is a conversation.

What question this answers

You want to read, but four questions stop you. In what order? Which translation? Whose commentary? And where does my own voice go?

In what order to read the Gita

The first order is chapter 1 to chapter 18. In it the whole story comes to hand, and for the first complete reading this is best. There are about seven hundred verses, but there is no hurry. Even one chapter a week is a lot.

The second order is by question or topic. It helps when some confusion makes you sit down to read. On the site there are roads for this, such as "find something to read", "where do I begin?", daily practice and the Gita in seven days.

The third order is one verse a day. It is slow, but the best for building a habit.

The advice is to look at the map the first time, that is, the eighteen chapters at a glance. Then go lightly from 1 to 18. Then return by your own question. And read any verse along with the verses before and after it. A verse picked up alone often loses its meaning.

Why does the order matter? The Gita is a conversation, and the talk builds one step after another. In chapter 1 Arjuna breaks down. In chapter 2 comes Krishna's first answer (Gita 2.11), and at the start of chapter 3 a question again. Reading in order, one first hears the question to which the whole Gita is the answer: "My mind is confused, I am your disciple, what is surely good for me?" (Gita 2.7) One who skips this and picks up later verses reads the answer without hearing the question.

Translation

A translation is one translator's reading. Even two good translations can differ in tone, one plain and one formal.

The practical way is to keep one clear, direct translation in the language you think in. Keep a second for comparison. And check any word you are stuck on in the word meanings. On each verse page on the site there are the Sanskrit, transliteration, word meanings and plain meaning in both Hindi and English. Reading them together is most useful.

If two translations say different things, do not hurry to choose the one you like. First look at the word meanings, then the verses around, and after that the commentary.

Do not spend time looking for "the one right translation". It does not exist. What exists is this: one clear translation, one for comparison, and a check of word meanings.

When to add a commentary

A commentary is a teacher's reading, speaking from within a tradition. Over the centuries there are many.

Some streams read the Gita as pointing mainly to the knowledge of the self. Some take it as the way of action after giving up the grip on the fruit. Some see devotion at the centre. All three read the same verses. Krishna himself says that two paths were stated earlier: of knowledge and of action (Gita 3.3). A one-glance view of this is in The Paths: Action, Knowledge, Devotion.

Go with a commentary in four steps. First read the verse yourself. Then keep one commentary alongside. Check each point of the commentary against the verse. And open a second commentary only after the first full reading. Opening three commentaries in the first round muddies a matter instead of clearing it.

Take the manner from the Gita itself: humility, a fitting question and service, and from those who have seen the truth (Gita 4.34). A commentary is a teacher in the form of a book. Listen with a bow, and put a question on whatever you do not follow.

Which commentary to choose? One in easy language, that quotes the verse, explains the words and gives the reason for its view. Test whether it explains the verse open in front of you. And stay with one for a chapter before you decide.

Read with your own question

Arjuna's Gita begins with a question, and the question is his own. One who reads without a question hears the verse but does not find the answer, because he did not ask.

For a month choose one question and write it in a notebook, such as "How can I work without being crushed by the result?" And each time ask: what does this verse say to my question?

If two verses seem to clash, do not put the book down. Ask. Arjuna felt this too. He said that mixed words were confusing his mind, and asked for one sure path (Gita 3.2). Krishna answered in the next verse that there are two paths (Gita 3.3). Do not pick the verse you like and drop the rest.

Who is speaking, and to whom

There are four voices in the Gita. Dhritarashtra asks (Gita 1.1), Sanjaya tells what he saw and heard, Arjuna asks, and Krishna answers. By the grace of Vyasa, Sanjaya heard directly from Krishna's own mouth (Gita 18.75).

The effect on reading is that in most verses "you" is said to Arjuna of that moment. Then the word spreads to reach every reader. So first ask what this was for the person to whom it was said. Then ask what it is for me.

Not every part is read the same way

There are four kinds of parts in the Gita.

Parts of reasoning, such as the self passing from one body to another (Gita 2.13), are read slowly. Look for each reason and ask whether it holds.

Parts of practice, such as steadying the mind in solitude (Gita 6.10), are read as instructions. Try them for a week.

Parts of heartfelt call, such as fix your mind on Me, bow to Me (Gita 9.34), are read as words said to you. Let feeling come, do not only analyse.

And parts of vision, such as the cosmic form of chapter 11, are first looked at with wonder. Explaining comes later.

If you read a verse of devotion as an argument, the warmth goes. If you read an argument as a prayer, the reasons are missed. When you lose the way, ask what kind of part this is.

One verse in ten minutes

There is a plain order for reading one verse in ten minutes. In the first minute read the plain meaning aloud. In the next two minutes check the word meanings of the words you stuck on. Then spend two minutes on the verses before and after. In the next two minutes see who is saying it to whom, and in what confusion. And in the last three minutes write one line in your own words and one line for your own life.

If you want a commentary, take it after these five steps, not before.

Which level on the site

On the site every topic has three levels.

The simple level is for the first time and for little time, about ten minutes.

The detailed level is for those who want to read with understanding of order, translation and commentary, about twenty to twenty-five minutes.

And the deeper level is for the differences between commentaries and fine points, thirty minutes or more. The deeper level reads one verse (Gita 2.47) from five distances.

Reading together

Yes, the Gita's own way, asking and learning (Gita 4.34), works well in a small group. One person reads the verse aloud. Then each says it in his own words. Then the group sets one question for that week.

Differences of understanding come out, and that is its strength. Take them to a commentary later, not first.

Five common wrong ways of reading

The first wrong way is reading only favourite verses. A verse picked alone says half the matter. Read the neighbouring verses too, for the Gita is one conversation.

The second is taking one word of a translation as final. First look at the word meaning and the context.

The third is reading to win an argument. The Gita says this knowledge is to be given to one who wishes to listen (Gita 18.67), and that study is a sacrifice of knowledge (Gita 18.70), not a weapon.

The fourth is reading once and passing judgment. The Gita asks for full reflection (Gita 18.63) and for practice to steady the mind (Gita 6.35).

The fifth is thinking that the more you read the more you understand. Study is the austerity of speech (Gita 17.15), and austerity is done by rule, not now and then. To read a page every day and live by it is better than to read ten pages in a day.

Questions people ask

Is reading alone enough, or is a teacher needed? To begin, it is enough. But the Gita speaks of learning from those who have seen the truth, by humility, questions and service (Gita 4.34). A knowledgeable companion or a study circle helps.

What if two translations say different things? Compare the word meanings, read the verses around, and see what the context needs. Difference of tone is common. If the difference of meaning is real, a commentary is there for that.

What if two verses seem opposite? Arjuna felt it too (Gita 3.2), and the answer was two paths (Gita 3.3). Do not pick and drop. Ask.

How do I know I have understood? When you can say the verse in your own words, tell what it asks of you today, and have tried it. The Gita asks for full reflection and leaves the choice to you (Gita 18.63).

If you have to explain it in thirty seconds

Read the Gita in order, keep one plain translation, meet the verse yourself first, then add one commentary, and keep your own question with you. Always read the verses before and after. If you are stuck on a translation, look at the word meanings, and check a commentary against the verse. Not every part is the same: read reasoning slowly, practice by trying, devotion with feeling and vision with wonder. The Gita itself says: learn by humility, questions and service, reflect fully, and then choose.

Related hubs: What Is the Gita? (before) · The Eighteen Chapters at a Glance (next) · The Paths: Action, Knowledge, Devotion · Begin the Gita (path) · The Gita in 7 Days (path)