THE ROLE OF HERMENEUTICS IN UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT OF THE BHAGAVADGĪTĀ

Abstract

Hermeneutics plays a very important role in understanding and interpreting the text of the Bhagavadgītā. The Bhagavadgītā has unique hidden and harmonised meaning. But, for the critics, Bhagavadgītā seems to be a text where some verses contradict other verses. The commentators are of the opinion that the verses 2.45 and 15.15 contradict each other and there cannot be a unity of meaning of the whole text. The former verse says traiguṇyaviṣayā vedā niṣtraiguṇyaḥ bhavārjuna which means ‘the Vedas have for its subject matter consisting of three guṇas, O Arjuna, be free from the three guṇas, and the latter says vedeḥ ca sarvaḥ ahaṁ eva vedyo vedāntakrit vedavit eva ca ahaṁ which means ‘I alone am known by all the Vedas and also I am the knower of the Vedas.’ Again according to the critics 4.13 is contradictory where Kṛṣṇa is the actor as well as non – actor or non – agent. But, if we go deeper into meanings of the words of the verses then we find that they are not contradictory. It is the failure to unify the meanings and to harmonize the text that is creating difficulties unless one is ready to find meaning in the seeming contradiction one cannot understand Bhagavadgītā. Contradiction is not the problem of the Bhagavadgītā, but it is the problem for the reader or the commentators to harmonize. Traditional commentators like Saṁkarachārya, Rāmānujachārya, Madhvācharya, Abhinavagupta etc. have not claimed the text to be contradictory. It is the only western scholars and under the influence of them the modern Indian commentators, who follow the text critical method of exegesis to find the original Bhagavadgītā and subsequent layers of interpolations who notice so called contradictions in the various portions of the Bhagavadgītā. The problem of the commentators is that they have not yet got hold of the hermeneutics suitable to the Bhagavadgītā. The hermeneutics must follow the part and whole relationship of understanding the text. In this paper focus will be made on how hermeneutic way of understanding involving hermeneutic circle, fusion of horizon and prejudices, can lead us to understand the unity of meaning of the Bhagavadgītā.