Choosing Human and Animal Lives 3

which are conditioned in so many ways. If we are
to have knowledge, it must come from a superior
source which is not conditioned by these four im-
perfections. That source is Krsna. He is the supreme
authority of Bhagavad-gita, and He is accepted as the
perfect authority by so many saints and sages.

Those who are serious students of Vedic literature
accept authority. Bhagavad-gita, for example, is not
a scholarly presentation which arose out of so much
research work. It is perfect knowledge that was
taught by Lord Krsna to Arjuna on the battlefield
of Kuruksetra, and we receive information from it
that in previous ages Sri Krsna also taught it to the
sun-god Vivasvan, and it was handed down from time
immemorial from Vivasvan by disciplic succession.

imam vivasvate yogam
proktavan aham avyayam

vivasvan manave praha
manur iksvakave “bravit

“The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable
science of yoga to the sun-god Vivasvan, and Vivasvan
instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and
Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.” (Bg. 4.1)

If we study Bhagavad-gita according to academic
knowledge or according to our own mental specula-
tion, we are certain to commit mistakes. It is not
possible to understand Bhagavad-gita in this way. It
is necessary to follow carefully in the footsteps of
Arjuna. In previous ages, due to interpretation and
mental speculation, the real purport of Bhagavad-gita
