In this class (Class 7), we discuss pp. 1220-1233 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
Study questions:
1. Explain Sri Aurobindo’s contextual justification of his interpretation of the terms “jñāna” and “vijñāna” in verse 7.2 of the Gītā in relation to 7.1 and 7.3.
2. What do you think is the best way to interpret the terms “jñāna” and “vijñāna” in the Gītā? Whose interpretation of the terms do you accept—Śaṅkara’s, Rāmānuja’s, Sri Aurobindo’s, or otherwise? And why?
3. Compare Śaṅkara’s and Sri Aurobindo’s interpretations of verses 15.16-18 of the Gītā. Which interpretation, if either, do you find more plausible, and why?
4. According to Sri Aurobindo, how does the doctrine of vijñāna furnish the philosophical basis of the Gītā’s views on spiritual practice?
5. Do you have any questions about the reading? Did you have difficulty understanding anything? Do you have any doubts or confusions?