Only devotees with austerity and surrender can understand the Gita's transcendental knowledge, not envious speculators or sense-enjoyers.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Bhagavad-gītā 18.67–69 — December 9, 1972, Ahmedabad 721209BG-AHMEDABAD [46:05 Minutes] Bg-18.67–69_721209BG-AHMEDABAD Prabhupāda: ...about Kṛṣṇa's forbidding Arjuna not to speak this Bhagavad-gītā to a person who is not very much advanced in austerity and penance. The verse is on the Eighteenth Chapter, verse number 67, in which Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, idaṁ te nātapaskāya nābhaktāya kadācana na cāśuśrūṣave vācyaṁ na ca māṁ yo 'bhyasūyati [Bg. 18.67] Kṛṣṇa says, "This confidential knowledge may not be explained to those who are not austere or devoted or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me." So Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He knows very well that there will be so many rascals who are envious of Him. Actually, everyone is trying... Because Bhagavad-gītā is very popular book of profound knowledge, everyone is trying to prove his own theory through the medium of Bhagavad-gītā, excluding Kṛṣṇa.
This is going on. They want to kill Kṛṣṇa, demonic. Anyone who is trying to kill Kṛṣṇa, he's a demon. So to warn the devotees from these demons, this śloka was spoken by Kṛṣṇa Himself.
Atapaskāya. Actually, one who is sinful, who is not undergoing the method of austerities, penance, what he will understand about Bhagavad-gītā? It is not a table talk. People are taking it as a table talk.
By so-called scholarship... That is not possible. Just like it is said that unless one is a brāhmaṇa, qualified brāhmaṇa, he should not touch the Vedas. That means what he will understand? Unless one has attained the brahminical qualification: truthfulness, cleanliness, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, simplicity, tolerant, full of Vedic knowledge, practically application in life, and full faith in the Vedas...
This is, these are the brahminical qualifications. So unless one has attained the brahminical qualification, what he will understand, the Vedas? It is not that Mr. Max Mueller translates Veda. This is all nonsense.
What Max Mueller will understand Bhagavad-, uh, Vedas? It is, these are not the subject matter of advanced in A-B-C-D. No. These are transcendental subject matter.
Tat. Oṁ tat sat. Unless one is advanced... Everything...