In this class (Class 6), we discuss pp. 1209-1220 of Swami Medhananda’s article, “Toward a New Hermeneutics of the Bhagavad Gītā: Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Aurobindo, and the Secret of Vijñāna,” which you can download here: Toward-a-New-Hermeneutics-of-BG
Study questions:
1. What is the difference between eisegesis and exegesis?
2. According to Sri Ramakrishna, how does the jñānī’s realization and outlook on the world differ from the vijñānī’s?
3. What is the difference between Śaṅkara’s and Sri Ramakrishna’s respective conceptions of ultimate reality?
4. Explain some of the ways that Sri Aurobindo was influenced by Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda.
5. Explain the relevance of Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual experiences to his interpretation of the Bhagavad Gītā.
6. The scholar Robert Minor claims that Sri Aurobindo took his own mystical experiences as “the highest authority and the first interpretive principle” for the understanding the Indian scriptures, including the Gītā. Why does Swami Medhananda disagree with Minor’s claim?
7. According to Swami Medhananda, what role did Sri Aurobindo’s spiritual experiences play in his interpretation of the Gītā?
8. How does Śaṅkara interpret the terms “jñāna” and “vijñāna” in Gītā verses such as 3.41?
9. What problems does Swami Medhananda identify in Śaṅkara’s interpretation of the terms “jñāna” and “vijñāna” in the Gītā?
10. How does Rāmānuja interpret the terms “jñāna” and “vijñāna” in Gītā 7.2?
11. According to Swami Medhananda, what is the problem with Rāmānuja’s interpretation of the terms “jñāna” and “vijñāna” in the Gītā?
12. How does Swami Tapasyananda interpret the terms “jñāna” and “vijñāna” in the Gītā?
13. How does Sri Aurobindo interpret the terms “jñāna” and “vijñāna” in Gītā 7.1-2?
14. According to Sri Aurobindo, why is the Gītā’s concept of vijñāna so important for understanding the Gītā as a whole?