Bhagavatā means "by the Supreme Personality of Godhead," and gītaṁ means "spoken." They say: "sung by." You can say. But gītaṁ means "spoken by." Therefore it is called Bhagavad-gītā, "the instruction given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally." Therefore it is called Bhagavad-gītā.
Now Arjuna said that this science was spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we read Bhagavad-gītā, then we must follow the version of Arjuna, because Arjuna directly heard Bhagavad-gītā from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And he says that this science, gītaṁ bhagavatā. So why there should be interpretation? Because the person who heard directly from Bhagavān, the Supreme Per . . . he says that this is spoken by the Bhagavad-gī . . . erm, Supreme Personality of Godhead. So one who is hearing directly, he's saying something, but you are saying something. You have no right. This is called paramparā system. The person who heard Bhagavad-gītā directly from Kṛṣṇa, whatever he says, that is to be accepted. You cannot interpret. This is the paramparā system.
So if you want to understand Bhagavad-gītā, then we must understand in the same way as the person who directly heard from him. This is called paramparā system. Suppose I have heard something from my spiritual master, so I speak to you the same thing. So this is paramparā system. You cannot imagine what my spiritual master said. Or even if you read some books, you cannot understand unless you understand it from me. This is called paramparā system. You cannot jump over to the superior guru, I mean to say, neglecting the next ācārya, immediate next ācārya. Just like our this Gau . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult; we cannot understand Caitanya Mahāprabhu directly. This is not possible. We have to understand through the Gosvāmīs. Therefore you'll find in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in . . . at the end of every chapter, the writer says, rūpa-raghunātha-pade . . . what is that?
Yaśomatīnandana: Caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe.
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa-dāsa.
- rūpa-raghunātha-pade yāra āśa
- caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇa-dāsa
- (CC Adi 1.110)
This is the process. He does not say that, "I have understood Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu directly." No. That is not understanding. That is foolishness. You cannot understand what is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Therefore repeatedly he says:
- rūpa-raghunātha-pade yāra āśa
- caitanya-caritāmṛta kahe kṛṣṇa-dāsa
- (CC Adi 1.110)
"I am that Kṛṣṇa dāsa Kavirāja who is always under the subordination of the Gosvāmīs." This is paramparā system.
Similarly, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura also says, ei chay gosāi jār tār mui dās (Nāma-saṅkīrtana 6): "I am servant of that person who has accepted this six Gosvāmīs as his master. I am not going to be servant of any other person who does not accept the way and means of . . ." Therefore we say or we offer our prayer to our spiritual master, rūpānuga-varāya te. Rūpānuga-varāya te. Because he follows Rūpa Gosvāmī, therefore we accept, spiritual master. Not that one has become more than Rūpa Gosvāmī or more than . . . no. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sebi-bhakta-sane vās (Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7). This is the paramparā system.
Now here, the same thing is repeated: Arjuna, who directly heard from Kṛṣṇa . . . sometimes some people say—it is rascaldom—that, "Arjuna heard directly from Kṛṣṇa, but we don't find Kṛṣṇa in our presence, so how can I accept it?" It is not a question of direct presence, because you have no idea of the absolute knowledge. Kṛṣṇa's words, Bhagavad-gītā, is not different from Kṛṣṇa. It is not different from Kṛṣṇa. When you hear Bhagavad-gītā, you are directly hearing from Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is not different. Kṛṣṇa is absolute. Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's quality, Kṛṣṇa's instruction, everything Kṛṣṇa's, they're all Kṛṣṇa. They're all Kṛṣṇa. This has to be understood. They're not different from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's form here, He's Kṛṣṇa. He's not a statue—"He's a marble statue"—no. He's Kṛṣṇa. He has appeared before you because you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. You can see stone, wood; therefore He has appeared in that form. You think that it is stone and wood, but He's not stone and wood; He's Kṛṣṇa. This is called Absolute Truth. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's words are also not different from Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa's words are there in the Bhagavad-gītā, it's Kṛṣṇa.