2. By awareness & knowledge
3. By understanding & application
True & complete learning will have elements of all 3.
Take the example of multiplication tables.
Some think that kids have to mug up some of them for easy recall in future.
But if they did not understand the concept or be aware that multiplication is a compression of addition and that all ways of multiplying get the same answer ( repeat addition, grid multiplication as well as usual long multiplication) , will mugging help!!!
In the famous movie "3 Idiots" we witnessed result of mugging without understanding.
Though comparing the speech in the movie with multiplications may not be the best example, it has a takeaway. We can memorise pronunciation of a word when we don't understand the phonics but we cannot use the word without knowing its meaning!
Teaching/Learning the principles of Gita with or without shlokas' has a similar debate. Many people reading the shlokas (in the transliterate version) don't know the language and base their understanding on the translation and then the explanation.
However in case of Gita they say the viberations generated by the sounds of the shloka's have benefits at the sub conciuos level hence saying them without understanding is perfectly fine.
Hence the recommended modern way of studying Gita is
1. Using transliteration to read the shloka or hearing it online. Reciting when possible.
2. The literal translation & then the explanation
3. Applying the principles to ones life
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