In plain words
Calling the disciples and Ānandagiri to his side: ‘You said, “a little reading of the Bhagavad Gītā”. You said it is enough to read the Bhagavad Gītā a little, didn't you? You said it is enough to read a little of the Bhagavad Gītā, which stands at 700 ślokas; what is the intent of this? If you read a little, will your mind be refined? Will your heart be purified to some extent? Or will it let you grasp the Bhagavad Gītā's essence of all the śāstras, its root of all goals, its seat of all dharmas too! Tell me what your intent is,’ he asked. To that, Ānandagiri spoke charming words, charmingly. ‘Swami! The Bhagavad Gītā is made up of 700 ślokas, so when people like me, dull of wit, are told, “Read from the first chapter to the eighteenth,” they may think, “Can I read so big a book?” and keep away from the Bhagavad Gītā at the very start. So if, first of all, they make a start at reading the Bhagavad Gītā, even a little, a taste for it may reach the heart to some degree, and the wish to read it every day may grow in them a little. How so? At a child's annaprāśana, he cannot eat rice, sāmbār and buttermilk all at once. So, first, something sweet is made soft and given to his mouth; little by little he takes to the taste, and later tries to put into his stomach what is on the plate. In the same way, if those of dull wit are given some acquaintance with the Bhagavad Gītā, even a little, they can develop the principle of the Bhagavad Gītā: with that intent I wrote “a little reading of the Bhagavad Gītā”,’ he said. Next Śaṅkara asked again, ‘You said, didn't you, that when we drink the essence of Gaṅgā water, we should drink only a little of it; what is the inner meaning in this?’ The Gaṅgā is supremely sacred. She is Mother Gaṅgā, the mother of Bhārata, who has won sacred fame across the world. That Gaṅgā water does not spoil, however many years it is kept. Because certain powers have entered that water, this water not only gives health but stays unspoiled however many days it is kept; and with the sacred feeling that it sprang from the head of Īśvara and from the feet of Viṣṇu, even one drop drunk is enough: with that intent he used this word.