How to start a Gita Study Group.

1 Talk to few like-minded people in your friend and neighborhood circle about the idea of starting a Gita Satsang/Study group. Arrange a meeting with the spiritually inclined people and decide time, place, and how often the group should meet. Evenings and weekends are usually preferred time. The meeting place could be a local school, temple/church, conference room of an office building, or a public library. You can meet at home if the spouse cooperates. The frequency of the meeting could be once a month, twice a month, or every Saturday/Sunday. The duration of Satsang should be one to 1.5 hours.

2. A meeting format in which all members of the group are encouraged to participate in the study and discussion has worked well in the USA. Take a chapter of the Gita and assign first five verses of the chapter to one person and the next five verses to another person. These two people should prepare their assignments and present the meanings and interpretation of the verses during the next Satsang. Each presentation should be followed by a lively question and answer as well as a group discussion. A moderator should lead and moderate the discussion. Everybody should give their interpretation of the first five verses and participate in the discussion before going to the second speaker. A group meditation should be included either in the beginning or towards the end of Satsang. Guest speakers may also be invited if possible.

3. Assign next two sets of five verses to two different speakers for the next meeting thereby giving everybody a chance to study, learn, participate and become an active member of the group. Try any other method that works in your area.

4. Another variation of the format is to select a Gita book that has verses and explanation. Start with Chapter 1. Everybody reads one verse turn by turn. The person who reads the verses also explains what is his/her understanding of that verse. Then others are asked to give their explanation/understanding and lively discussion follows. Moderator makes sure that people dont start arguing/verbal fighting. After one verse is read and discussed, another verses is read and explained by another person. Some people who do not want to discuss or feel shy about discussing, he/she should say "I will pass on". And the next person reads and discusses. You can have Bhajan or meditation in the beginning of the discussion. Tea or light snack in the end may be served. Sometimes pot luck also works better depending on what day and time you meet.