When the Bhagavad Gita seems to be talking about Karma Yoga, why are there suddenly purports which talk about Bhakti Yoga?

Question:
When the Bhagavad Gita appears to be talking about Karma Yoga, why do we suddenly find purports that emphasize Bhakti Yoga? How do we deal with this when trying to teach the Gita systematically?

Answer:
I’ll make three points to address this: Prabhupada’s strategy, his overall vision and purpose, and how we can align our approach accordingly.

1. Prabhupada’s Perspective and Strategy:
Srila Prabhupada approached his translations and purports with a sense of urgency. He was elderly when he began writing, and after surviving a severe heart attack in 1967, there was never any certainty about how much time he had left. Naturally, this sense of urgency shaped his presentation. He was not aiming for a technical commentary but rather a spiritually transformational one that could benefit as many people as quickly and deeply as possible.

Prabhupada was also deeply aware of his audience. He understood that many readers may not have the patience to go through the technical nuances of the Gita, so he emphasized its essential spiritual message on every page. He once mentioned that anyone opening any page of his books should be able to understand the fundamental truths:

• We are souls, not bodies.
• We are eternal servants of Krishna.
• Life’s goal is to serve Krishna and return back to Godhead.
• Chanting the holy names is the means.

This consistent emphasis reflects Prabhupada’s clarity of purpose—making people Krishna conscious.

2. Was Prabhupada Misrepresenting the Gita?
Not at all. Prabhupada was faithful to Krishna’s ultimate conclusion in the Gita, which is Bhakti. In 18.66, Krishna clearly states:
“Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja…”
So, what Prabhupada does is present that conclusion throughout the Gita, not just at the end.

Some might argue that this approach disrupts the flow of the Gita, especially in sections that are primarily about Karma Yoga or Jnana Yoga. However, Prabhupada was aware of the flow. For example, at the end of Chapter 2, he notes that Karma Yoga has been discussed with a hint of Bhakti. He quotes 2.61, which Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur identifies as the first “drop” of Bhakti. Yet, Prabhupada expands on it significantly, describing Ambarisha Maharaj’s full engagement in devotional service. So, he knows both what the Gita is doing and what he is doing.

If Prabhupada had intended to obscure the text, he could have avoided including the Sanskrit verses and word-for-word meanings. But he didn’t. He transparently presented the original text alongside his translations and purports, thus encouraging readers to think critically.

3. What About Our Role as Teachers?
This brings us to our purpose. Are we teaching Krishna consciousness using the Gita? Or are we teaching the Gita itself?

• If our goal is to inspire Krishna consciousness, then Prabhupada’s purports offer a powerful tool.
• If our goal is to teach the Gita as a philosophical text, we might need to trace the unfolding of Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Dhyana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga as Krishna presents them.

This distinction is important. The Bhagavad Gita contains space for people at various levels—those interested in Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and ultimately, Bhakti Yoga. Krishna doesn’t rush everyone to surrender in the second chapter itself; he allows a gradual evolution.

We can visualize this as two overlapping circles:

• One is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), rooted in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.
• The other is the Bhagavad Gita as a standalone text with its own philosophical flow.

They intersect significantly, but they are not identical. ISKCON is based on the broader Gaudiya Vaishnava canon, including the Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita, which many consider more central than the Gita itself in our tradition.

Interestingly, Prabhupada once mentioned that he would like to write another commentary on the Gita, possibly from the perspective of another acharya. This suggests that he saw his own commentary as one valid expression within a larger tradition, and that there was room for complementary approaches.

Conclusion:
If our purpose is to teach Krishna consciousness, then Prabhupada’s purports serve us well. But if our purpose is to teach the Gita systematically, we may let Krishna’s own words guide the reader at their natural pace. Helping people gradually connect with Krishna’s message, allowing the text to speak for itself, is also a valid and potent form of Krishna consciousness.

More and more devotees today are moving toward this second approach—not to replace Prabhupada’s vision, but to complement it and reach broader audiences who may connect more deeply when the Gita is allowed to unfold organically.