We are resuming our ongoing class on "Bhagavad Gita in the Light of Sri Ramakrishna." For the new students here at the Vedanta Society of Sacramento, I'm starting with a Crash Course.
Assignment:
Please read Chapter 4 of Sri Aurobindo's Essays on the Gita, entitled "The Core of the Teaching" (pp. 29–38), and answer the five Study Questions.
Study Questions:
1. Regarding the first few pages of the chapter, “The Core of the Teaching,” why does Sri Aurobindo think that the Gita has so often been interpreted in an eisegetic manner? Please also summarize his three examples of common eisegetic readings of the Gita and his refutation of each of them.
2. On pp. 32–33, we find Sri Aurobindo’s only references to Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda in the entire book. Briefly summarize what he says about them and why he brings them up in the context of the Gita. Do you agree or disagree with what he says about them here? Why or why not?
3. On pp. 37–38, Sri Aurobindo describes the “three great steps” by which we can rise “out of the human into the divine plane” through action. Please summarize briefly these three steps.
4. Do you find Sri Aurobindo’s account of these “three great steps” helpful in your day-to-day spiritual practice? Why or why not?
5. Do you have any questions about the reading? Did you have difficulty understanding anything? Do you have any doubts or confusions?