So we have to follow. Now, follow pūrvataraiḥ. Now, we are listening Bhagavad-gītā. So Bhagavad-gītā was first heard by the Vivasvān, the sun-god. So giving aside sun-god, we can take at least Arjuna. Pūrvataraiḥ, mahadbhiḥ. Arjuna is mahat, mahat. Sa mahātmā su-dur . . . because he knows Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). He surrendered to Kṛṣṇa for solution of the problem, whether he was to fight or not to fight. So Kṛṣṇa instructed directly, and Kṛṣṇa certified him, bhakto 'si me priyo 'si (BG 4.3): "You are My dear friend. You are My devotee. Therefore I shall talk to you the mystery." Rahasyam etad uttamam, Bhagavad-gītā. So take the lesson from Arjuna, how he acted, how he understood Bhagavad-gītā. Then pūrvataraiḥ. You don't have to go very long, long before. You take the symbolical representation of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna.
So how did he understood? How he did understand Kṛṣṇa? He understood Kṛṣṇa: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So you understand like that. Why do you misinterpret, "Oh there is no Kṛṣṇa, there is no battlefield. It is all fictitious. It is . . . I can make my own commentary, you can make your own . . ."? Why all this nonsense? Pūrvataraiḥ. Just Arjuna did, Arjuna accepted, accept like that. Then your Bhagavad-gītā reading is perfect. Otherwise simply wasting your time and misleading others, "This meaning is this, meaning is that, meaning is that." Why meaning is that? What right you have got to say like that? But these rascals are doing and spoiling the whole country. You see? Misinterpreting. There is no misinterpretation. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Your life will be successful. So try to follow Arjuna. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. (aside) Take this.
So the śāstra says, tarko 'pratiṣṭhaḥ, "If you simply want to know what is self-realization, what is religion, simply by argument, logic, it is not possible." Tarko 'pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnāḥ: "If you want to learn by studying scriptures, Vedic literature, you will find different scriptures," Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg, Atharva, then different Purāṇas. There are eighteen Purāṇas, Mahābhārata. That is also impossible; means you cannot understand. Śrutayo vibhinnā nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. But if you philosophize, following some philosopher . . . there are six kinds of philosophers in India. So philosopher means he must decry another philosopher, that he must give a new theory. So nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam (Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117). That will also not help. Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyām. It is very confidential subject matter. Mahājano yena gataḥ so panthāḥ. Then you accept the mahājana. Mahājana means following the paramparā system.