If we don’t understand much on studying scripture how can we inspire ourselves to study?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Thank you very much.
So, if we read a book but we feel we are not understanding, then what is the purpose of reading? See, reading has many purposes. One is that we are simply serving Shastra by reading. In the 18th chapter, 70th verse, Krishna says that, अधश्यते चयेमं धर्मं सम्वादमावयो ज्ञान यग्येन तेनाहं इश्टस्यामितिन्यमति He says, those who study this conversation of ours, they are worshipping me with their intelligence.
That means that, He says, we do aarti with a lamp and incense. So, like that, when we study the Bhagavad Gita, we are worshipping Krishna with the intelligence. So, Krishna is not saying necessarily that we have to understand everything.
Just do it in a mood of worship. Of course, we do want to understand. But even if we don’t understand, if we do it in a mood of service and worship, that will lead to purification.
Having said that, if we feel that just by reading we are not understanding, then it is often very helpful to connect our hearing and reading. See, for the first 5 to 10 years of our spiritual life, most of our understanding comes by hearing. We do reading, but it is by hearing that our questions get answered, the concepts get clarified.
So, then what we could do is, we can connect our reading and hearing. So, for example, if you are able to read a particular book, then try to find out some devotee has given classes on that book. If you are reading Bhagavad Gita, try to find someone who has given systematic classes on the Bhagavad Gita.
And there are many speakers who have given. You try to hear a few sample of different devotees and see whichever devotees’ classes you are able to connect with. And then you read the verses and then you hear the class.
The reading will be slower, because classes are often longer and it takes time to hear the classes, but the understanding will be much deeper. So, basically connecting reading and hearing is a very powerful way of deepening our understanding. And not only do we understand more, but also by hearing classes based on what we are reading, our capacity to appreciate what we are reading also increases.
Oh, you know, this point could be seen this way. This point, I never thought it could be understood. This can be connected here like this.
And then when you develop that capacity, in future when we read books also where there may not be directly classes available, but our thinking capacity, our connecting capacity will have increased. And then we will be able to appreciate reading better. I think do reading in the mode of service and try to connect reading and hearing.
That way the taste for reading will come. Yes, I agree with this point. Yeah, of course.