Who is the adhikārin to study the Gītā?

What should be one’s attitude who aspires to study the Gītā and enter into the spirit of its teaching. This leads to the question who is the real adhikārin to approach the Gita.

To truly study and enter into the secret chamber of the Gītā or in fact of any spiritual text, the seeker or aspirant has to be a real adhikārin. An adhikārin is the one who has developed the necessary qualities within him. Only then he can gain true benefit from the study of the text.

The concept of adhikāra or necessary eligibility has been misunderstood as this or that group or community alone has the adhikāra to study or preach a spiritual text. But in fact as per the vision of the Rishis everyone has the adhikāra to be an adhikārin. But one must become an adhikārin in order to enter into the spirit of a spiritual text.

Let’s see what the Gītā itself says about who is the true adhikārin to study it. After giving the teaching to Arjuna Sri Krishna says: Never speak about this to the one who has no tapas, is not devoted, is not ready to listen and does not love the Divine. (Gītā:18.67).

इदं ते नातपस्काय नाभक्ताय कदाचन ।
न चाशुश्रूषवे वाच्यं न च मां योऽभ्यसूयति ॥

The one who has no inner aspiration, no tapasyā, and no shraddhā (devotion) for the Divine and is not ready to listen can never gain anything deep from the spiritual text. Rather, the scripture is misunderstood in the hands of such persons who have not risen to this status of adhikārin.

Tapas and shraddhā are thus the two fundamental conditions for the seeker to raise himself to the position of a true adhikārin for the teaching of the Gītā. Tapas is that inner fire of persistent aspiration and shraddhā is the utmost sincerity without any doubt or shrinking.

There is a beautiful verse in Shanakracharya’s Upadeśasāhasrī (2.10) which says that the teaching must be given to him:

-who has a tranquil mind (praśāntacitta)
-who has control over his senses (jitendriya)
-who is free from all weaknesses or stains (prahīṇadoṣa)
-who is always ready to listen and do as per the inner voice or what has been said in the text or by the Guru (yathoktakārin)
-who is endowed with all the good or Divine qualities (guṇānvita)
-who is modest (anugata)
-who intensely aspires to become free from all limitations (mumukṣu).

प्रशान्तचित्ताय जितेन्द्रियाय च प्रहीणदोषाय यथोक्तकारिणे।
गुणान्वितायानुगताय सर्वदा प्रदेयमेतत् सततं मुमुक्षवे॥
praśāntacittāya jitendriyāya ca prahīṇadoṣāya yathoktakāriṇe |
guṇānvitāyānugatāya sarvadā pradeyametat satataṁ mumukṣave ||

So the true markers of an adhikārin are:

श्रद्धा – Utmost sincerity

सङ्कल्प – Pure resolution

तपस् – Intense fire of persistent aspiration

भक्ति - Devotion

अनसूया – No envy

शुश्रूषा – Willingness to listen

जिज्ञासा – Intense aspiration to know more and more

जितेन्द्रियत्व – Control over senses

प्रशान्तचित्तत्व – Calmness of the mind

मुमुक्षा – Intense aspiration to become free from all limitations and weaknesses

पावित्र्यम् – Purity