Last day we had been discussing that difference between the conditioned soul and liberated soul is that a conditioned soul is imperfect in four ways. A conditioned soul is sure to commit mistake, a conditioned soul is in illusion, a conditioned soul has the tendency for cheating others, and a conditioned soul has got his senses imperfect, imperfect senses. Therefore knowledge should be taken from a liberated soul. Why this Bhagavad-gītā is so honored? Now, this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken in India, and it is understood that it is a scripture of the Hindus.
But why . . .? Now, you are Americans. You are also keeping this Bhagavad-gītā, and not only in America: in other countries also, in Germany. In Germany there are great, great scholars, in England, in Japan, in all countries. So why? Because it is spoken by a great personality. Apart from . . . we may . . . we Hindus, we accept Him the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but others, even not accepting Him the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they accept it as, at least, that He was a great personality. Therefore, besides the Hindu community, others, they are also consulting the knowledge.
Now, my point is that when such a great personality, and when a . . . we accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that His version is right. What He says, that from our practical experience we can conclude that every individual persons who were in the past individuals, they are also individuals at the present, and they'll continue to be individuals, and this is by our common sense: but it is confirmed by Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whom we call the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is accepted as a great personality.
He says, na tu eva ahaṁ jātu nāsam: "Don't think that I was not in existence." That means "I was in existence," not that "Just now I have come before you as God, as Śrī Kṛṣṇa. I was Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the past also, and I am Śrī Kṛṣṇa at the present. So also yourself, and so also others—all individuals. So, and at the present we are." Na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ: "And don't think that we shall not remain." Sarve. This sarve means "we all," not that . . . sarve is plural number. Janādhipāḥ is plural number. "So they are all individual souls."
So the individual soul continues. That is the version. That is the version of the Bhagavad-gītā, and we . . . it is better to accept this version without unnecessarily commenting it or interpreting it in a different way so that one . . . interpretation is very bad. You see? A scripture should not be interpreted. A scripture should be taken as it is. As it is. And besides that, interpretation . . . when interpretation is required? When a thing is not properly understood, at that time, interpretation is required. Otherwise, there is no necessity of interpretation.
Just like you . . . that "Such-and-such village or such-and-such town is on the sea." Somebody says. Now, the person who hears that "Such-and-such town is on the sea," and he may be confused—"How is that? On the . . . on the water, how there can be a town?" So there is explanation required. Now that explanation is that, " 'On the sea' does not mean 'in the midst of the sea,' but 'on the bank of the sea.' " Here is an interpretation.