Prabhupāda: That Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1): "This science of Bhagavad-gītā, I spoke to the sun-god millions of years ago." By the calculation it is forty millions of years ago. Now who will believe that, that Kṛṣṇa spoke this Bhagavad-gītā forty millions of years ago to the sun-god? Hmm? Who will believe that? They'll say mythology. So where is the faith in Bhagavad-gītā and faith in the words of Kṛṣṇa? Understanding Hamlet without Hamlet . . . (indistinct) . . . You cannot make your interpretation that whatever is written there, I take instead of . . . I take . . . (coughing) That is not the way of understanding Bhagavad-gītā. Then from the very beginning you'll spoil it. Then what is the meaning of preaching Bhagavad-gītā? If you do not accept the direction of the author, then what right you have got to say that you have understood Bhagavad-gītā?
Guest (Indian man): Could it be that there may be different interpretations?
Prabhupāda: No, that is not possible. That is not the process. You cannot interpret Bhagavad-gītā. If you want to preach Bhagavad-gītā, you must preach what Kṛṣṇa has said. If you have got a different philosophy, you can say differently. You don't cheat people that you take Bhagavad-gītā and interpret in your own way and cheat others and be cheated yourself. You cannot do that.
Guest: Well, for example, Tilak Maharaja . . .
Prabhupāda: Tilak may be, Gandhi may be, whoever may be. But the point is that you have to understand Bhagavad-gītā according to the direction of the author. Because you are Mr. Tilak or Mr. Gandhi, you can do everything on Bhagavad-gītā . . .
Guest: No, no, that is not the idea. But there are different type ślokas.
Prabhupāda: Now how you have got a different types of . . . Just like the Bhagavad-gītā begins, dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ (BG 1.1). So dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre, how you can interpret in a different way? Kurukṣetra is already there. But how you can interpret, "Kurukṣetra means this, Kurukṣetra means that"? You cannot interpret.
Guest: Yes, but who is decided what exactly the meaning . . .
Prabhupāda: Exactly the meaning is there.
Guest: Literal, literally.
Prabhupāda: Literally, yes. The thing is, the interpretation is required when you cannot understand. If . . . if I say, "This is a stick," everyone knows it is a stick. So I say, "Here is a stick." So if you say, "No, I do not accept it is stick," so what is that interpretation? Everyone knows it is stick. Similarly, Kurukṣetra means that the place, still existing. And in the Vedic śāstra it is ordered, kurukṣetre dharma yajayet. You go . . . From time immemorial it is a place of pilgrimage. Even Kṛṣṇa, during solar eclipse, Kṛṣṇa with His family, He came there, Jagannātha. The ceremony is there, Ratha-yātrā. Because Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Subhadra came in the same chariot, that is being performed. So Kurukṣetra, dharmakṣetra, at least five thousand years ago the system was that people used to come to Kurukṣetra as a place of pilgrimage, dharmakṣetra. And Kurukṣetra, the place is there. And the two family members, the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas, they fought. The Battle of Kurukṣetra took place. These things are evident. Then why there is need of interpreting? That is the first point.
Guest: Those points are very clear.
Prabhupāda: Every point is very clear. In the Bhagavad-gītā, every point is very clear, unless you interpret it in the wrong way.
Guest: . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: But how it can be called? If you interpret in your own way, interpret in your own way, interpretation, then where is Bhagavad-gītā? Best thing is that take Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then there will be . . . (indistinct) . . . Why you should interpret? You have no right to interpret on the words of Bhagavad-gītā.
Guest: But Swāmījī, you have also given so much . . . (indistinct) . . . That is interpretation.
Prabhupāda: No, that is not interpretation. That is explanation. Interpretation, if I change Kurukṣetra into something else, that is interpretation. That is wisdom. That is wisdom.
Guest: . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: No, I mean to say, instead of collecting so many hundreds and thousands of literature on the Bhagavad-gītā, why not take Bhagavad-gītā as it is? What is the difficulty? Kurukṣetra is this position is fact. Mahābhārata, Mahābhārata means greater India. And that is, it is itihasa. It is called itihāsa. Itihāsa, if you don't believe that there was a battle in the Kurukṣetra . . . But that is the fact. It is the history. Then how you can finish(?) Bhagavad-Gītā? Every point of Bhagavad-gītā, it is clear. It is clear. There is no need of interpretation. That is the first thing. If you interpret you spoil the whole thing. Because interpretation is required when the things are not clear. If everything is clear, why should you interpret?
Guest: No, it is explanation I think.
Prabhupāda: Explanation, you cannot explain that Kurukṣetra means this, dharmakṣetra means this, Pāṇḍava means this. Why?
Guest: No, no.
Prabhupāda: Take Sanskrit. Take Sanskrit. Dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre. Do not interpret to any other language. Take Sanskrit. Kurukṣetra is clear, dharmakṣetra is clear, Pāṇḍava is clear. Then why should we interpret? Why not take the particular verse. Everything, when there is a . . . (indistinct) . . . then please do not try to cut, or . . . (indistinct) . . . your . . . (indistinct) . . . If there is . . . (indistinct) . . . but by translating the whole thing you mistake, then what is the use of such translation? . . . (indistinct)
Guest: . . . (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Yes. Then you first of all learn Sanskrit, then you . . . (indistinct) . . . If there is . . . (indistinct) . . . This practice should be stopped. If you want to preach Bhagavad-gītā, and if you want to preach your own philosophy through Bhagavad-gītā, don't do this preaching. You preach your philosophy, your . . . (indistinct) . . . You can preach any philosophy you like, but don't take Bhagavad-gītā and . . . (indistinct) . . . on it.(?) That is my . . . (indistinct) . . . That is being done. That is being done. So therefore, instead of studying, collecting so many literatures, why not take Bhagavad-gītā as it is and preach? And as evidence to prove he is . . . (indistinct) . . . all over the world. Before me for 200 years there was preaching of Bhagavad-gītā. Not a single person became . . . It is the history of . . . (indistinct) . . . Now you see thousands. Why? Because there is no interpretation. There is no interpretation. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the Supreme." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7).
We are presenting, "Here is God." You are searching after God, Kṛṣṇa, and they are accepting. They do not . . . (indistinct) . . . what is Kṛṣṇa. What is this? How they are accepting? Because it is the real thing, there is no interpretation. They are not Hindus, they are not born in India. How they have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? They have given up bad habits, no illicit sex. Because you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa unless you are free from all sinful activities. Anyone who is sinful, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). We test him. We test like this, that Kṛṣṇa says this, that anyone who does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, he is under the four groups: duṣkṛtina, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. That's it. We are fools and rascals, we have no such education. But we take Kṛṣṇa's word that "Here is a fool, here is a sinful man, here is a narādhamāḥ, here is māyayāpahṛta." So unless you stick to this point, that we shall preach Bhagavad-gītā . . . (indistinct) . . . then there is no meaning of it. You are misled, you will mislead others. But if you take Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as Kṛṣṇa said, then . . . If you are not prepared to do that, then however . . . (indistinct) . . . interpretation, thousands of literatures, the result is . . . (indistinct) . . . This is practical.