Who can read & understand Bhagavat Gita?

Srila Prabhupada explains as follows:

Basic principle of material life

The verse in this morning's class, SB.5.5.16, stated that the basic principle of material life is ignorance, which leads a person to pursue sense gratification, which in turn leads to envy between living beings. In such a society everyone suffers, but people are so foolish they cannot realize this. Srila Prabhupada gave weight to the dangers of such a society in which countries compete with one another over resources that belong to neither, manufacturing atomic bombs that will destroy them all; or in which individuals, in order to enjoy immediate sense pleasure, destroy their own children in the womb without knowing the consequences. "If there is legal sex, one man and woman, married, and only for progeny they get into sex life, that is allowed in the sastra. But illicit sex is most abominable. But either illicit or legal, there are so many sufferings. So many sufferings. Illegal -- now they are giving opportunity, abortion, killing the child, go to the hospital . . . And behind that -- the killing of the child, very sinful -- he has to suffer. He does not know. Ananta duhkham ca na veda mudhah. He's taking the risk of suffering life after life. Those who are killing the child within the womb, they will be punished. They will also enter within the womb of the mother, and somebody will kill, and again he will enter another mother's womb; again he'll be killed. So as many child he has killed, he has to go to the womb of the mother, to another womb, another. He will never see the light of the world. He'll be killed. This is the punishment. But he does not know."

Although people think this to be mythology, Srila Prabhupada said, nature's laws will still act. Therefore, he told us, we should be intelligent and act only for our long-term benefit. Krsna consciousness is so simple that anyone can make advancement even though he or she may not be well educated. To illustrate how easy spiritual life is, he told us the story of Sri Caitanya's meeting with the illiterate brahmana in South India. "A devotee will be simply satisfied if he has got the opportunity of reading, reciting Srimad Bhagavatam anywhere, any part of the world, sitting down underneath a tree. One who has got education, he can read Srimad Bhagavatam. But even one who has no education -- he cannot read -- still he has no problem. He can chant: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. So he can enjoy anywhere. There is a practical example in this connection. While Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was touring in the southern India, in the Ranganatha temple He saw one brahmana. He was reading Bhagavad-gita. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu approached him, and He saw the brahmana was reading Bhagavad-gita and tears gliding down. So He could understand that 'Here is a pure devotee.' So He asked him, 'Well, brahmana, what you are reading?'

So he said, 'Sir, I cannot read. I am illiterate and I cannot read what is Bhagavad-gita, especially Sanskrit.' His neighbors were criticizing him. They knew that 'This brahmana is illiterate, and he is making a show of reading Bhagavad-gita.' So they were criticizing.

But Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He could understand that 'Here is a pure devotee.' So He asked him that 'What you are reading?'

"He said frankly, 'Sir, I cannot read. I have no education; illiterate.'

"Then? 'It appears that you are reading something. And if you are illiterate, why you are reading Bhagavad-gita?'

" 'No, my Guru Maharaja said. He knew that I am illiterate, but still, my Guru Maharaja said that "You read every day the slokas of Bhagavad-gita." So on account of his order, although I do not know anything what is written there, I am trying to read.'

" 'Oh, that's very nice. You are carrying the order of your Guru Maharaja. But it appears that you are crying also. How you are crying if you cannot read?'

" 'Yes, sir, that's because as soon as I take this Bhagavad-gita in my hand I see the picture that Arjuna is asking Krsna to place his chariot in the war field, and Krsna is driving the chariot by his order. So this is creating some feeling in me: "Oh, Krsna is so kind, so nice, that although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is carrying the order of His devotee as servant." When I feel this, I cry: "Oh, how Krsna is kind. How Krsna is merciful."'

"So immediately Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced him: 'You are reading Bhagavad-gita. It is not the literacy or education or knowing grammar and putting jugglery of words. That is not reading. If one feels what is the purport of Bhagavad-gita, that is reading Bhagavad-gita.'

"So it does not depend on literary career. A devotee is simply satisfied if he can think of Krsna. Krsna wants that. Krsna never said that 'You become a great pandita or grammarian to read Bhagavad-gita or Srimad Bhagavatam.' If you have, you can. Otherwise, anyone, even a child, can do this. Man mana bhava mad bhakto mad yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. One can come into this temple and offer obeisances. That will also do. Therefore a devotee can be satisfied in any condition of life, provided he can think of Krsna's lotus feet, that's all. That much."