The Bhagavad Gita

I first heard about the Bhagavad Gita a few years ago on a podcast that the comedian Duncan Trussell was on. For those who may not know, Duncan, in addition to being hilarious, is incredibly smart, and has spent many years studying various religions and philosophy. I still remember the first verse he quoted- It is better to be an honest street sweeper than a dishonest king. This and many others, all spoke to me, and for the longest time, I couldn’t figure out which version of the Gita to get. Obviously, I went with this one, translated by Eknath Easwaran, mostly because of all the positive reviews. While I was slightly disappointed that several verses I’d become so familiar with through Duncan (the one I just mentioned, and the infamous “I am become death” one), I actually liked how they were translated here just as much as those I originally heard. I don’t know what it was, but I read through the Bhagavad Gita very quickly, which is rare for me because when I read a book, my eyes will eventually jumble the words together, causing me to take a long time just to get through one short chapter. Here, I felt driven to read through the book. Maybe it’s because so much of it clicked with me. Easwaran’s translation is very easy to understand. It tells the story of Arjuna, a prince stuck between two armies, not wanting to fight because he doesn’t understand what the good of killing others would be. This is a very honest question, and over the 18 chapters, he gets his answer from Krishna, (one form of Vishnu, one of the holy trinity), who happens to be serving as his charioteer in the war. Krishna is loving and gives Arjuna all the information he needs about life and death, and about his responsibilities as a warrior. To be completely honest, I don’t know how to write a review for The Bhagavad Gita. My best advice would be to simply do a search for ‘Bhagavad Gita quotes’ and see if you like what you read. For anyone wondering if this book is only for “religious people”, I don’t think so. It’s explained several times in the introduction that the Gita can be seen as a book to help people through life, a kind of guide book. It never tells you what you’re supposed to be doing, or how you’re supposed to act. It simply tells you, in the same way a good friend might give you advice while trying to be nice about it, how to improve. This version also has introductions before each chapter. At first, I would read a chapter, then the introduction, but after the fifth or sixth, I started with the introductions. Some have mentioned that the introductions are a little intrusive, or reiterate things you’re already going to be reading about. Personally, I found them to be very helpful. Some terms that just plain couldn’t be translated into English, are broken down in these introductions, making it a lot easier to read the chapter without going “wait, what does that mean?” and having to look it up or keep skipping to the glossary. There is also a lengthy introduction at the beginning of the book, further explaining certain Hindu ideas and terms, and even going over some very interesting history. Even some things I though I fully understood, like renunciation, are explained more here than they are in the individual chapter intros, and I appreciated it. Basically, this is as complete as you could probably get if you wanted a copy of the Bhagavad Gita with a little more than the Gita itself. Again, it was hard to sit here and type up anything for this book. If I could, I’d just type up a couple of my favorite verses…but that may be several pages of material that you can easily find elsewhere. You know what’s funny? I’ve memorized many Indian words while reading the Gita, and even after just reading it once, I’ve memorized what chapters some of my favorite verses come from. I’d sit there and ask myself, “what chapter was [x verse] in again?”, then I’d flip right to it, almost always on the exact page the verse was on. The Bhagavad Gita is one of those books that I can honestly say I got something out of while, and after, reading it. Look up some quotes, and if anything sticks, get the book. It’s very inexpensive and full of good advice.

This text is absolutely eternal and unchanging. If the Library of Alexandria was to be burned down again and only this text remained, all other books which were lost could have a basis for being rewritten. Hearing Krishna explain the nature of the Self and it's relation to existence throughout the text to Arjuna constantly evokes a sort of primordial epiphany, as if the wisdom contained in the Gita is innate to all man, but don't realize it because of the various sensory distractions and mirages we concern ourselves with that act as veils shielding us from this wisdom. The Gita removes these veils, and to those souls who have an intuitive understanding of the Self they will notice these veils being removed. But to those whose experiences and concerns are limited to temporal affairs, they will see just another "superstitious sky god book". Even though Krishna is straight-forward and does not speak in symbolism, metaphor or parable as Muhammad or Jesus do, not everyone will understand or make use of the Gita. But if you've always felt that there was something off about the world even since you were a child, and feel lost in this godless and artificial modern world, and are put off from atheistic and corrupt "New Age" spirituality, the Gita is a priority for you. Eknath Easwaran's translation is supreme, and it's usually less than $8 on Amazon. Unlike most translators, Easwaran truly lived by this doctrine. His translation wasn't a mere scholarly work, but a spiritual duty of his, his gift to the West. There's chapter summaries before each chapter which explain in depth what is about to go down, which is very helpful. The Gita itself is not a lengthy or difficult read, it's actually difficult to put down once it's picked up. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's serious about a spiritual path.

Ancient wisdom that should be seek out from a sincere heart. This book, in a perfect translation lays out the way to learn from a path of compassion, love, enlightenment. A path that is in the heart of every human being, not institutions, government, academia, nor outer world. This story is a gift to mankind passed down, and available at hand. Everything worthy requires efforts, until it becomes natural like breathing, then the dead comes back to life. Hope you enjoy this reading, and share will all those seeking for more, for truth.

I bought the Gita along with the Dhammapada on amazon. I also have the other book in the series (Upanishads). It has been a great experience for me to study these books and use them as a guide for daily living. Eknath Easwaran's introduction to the concepts of Hinduism is outstanding. The description of Jnana Yoga (path of knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion) and Karma Yoga(path of selfless action) is lucid and inspires one to practice. I have combined my readings with regular meditation - Contemplation on the verses, how to apply them and applying effort towards practicing them in your life makes your life meaningful. For readers who are new to Hindu/Buddhist concepts of karma and reincarnation , the introduction has a wealth of information. The description of the three gunas (Tamas, Rajas, Sattva) that influence our personality is exemplary. Having a little bit of a background in Sanskrit, I can draw parallels between 'Sattva guna' and the popular Buddhist term 'BodhiSattva'. I also appreciate the spiritual plane in which the text describes the conversation between Arjuna and Krishna - as something every individual needs to have with his Self in the depths of consciousness. Each chapter in the book is preceded by chapter introductions that add a lot of value to the text. In short, a great book with meaningful and practical teachings which can be practiced by a person on any path. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to read this book.

Before purchasing, I'd read another reviewer's comments about how useful each chapter's preview/summary was for them, and that greatly contributed to my purchasing of this particular translation. Having now read through several different chapters myself, I'd like to thoroughly reiterate their statement. I've also found the chapter summaries to be particularly insightful as someone who's only been exposed to the eastern traditions for several years now. I really appreciate how both direct and indirect correlations to the other prominent traditions are demonstrated and elaborated upon (for example, preemptively explaining the Shavaite equivalents to Purusha/prakriti), as that helps me to more properly contextualize from a western approach. I do, however, read this along with two other translations, both of which include the Sanskrit, as I find having those terms alongside the English to be indispensable when trying to incorporate more deeply into the tradition and learn a new language. So that's just something that helps me and that others might want to invest in, as well.

I think that I've read about 5 different translations of the Bhagavad Gita, and I've listened to an online spoken version. This must be a very difficult Scripture to get right, from Sanskrit into English, but I think anyone who's interested in religion and/or spirituality and/or eastern culture should read at least one version of this highly profound piece of wisdom and a lesson on the ultimate nature of being. And then accept or reject its precepts as one always does in these matters. I personally didn't like the long introduction but some may find that and the explanatory notes of Easwaran very helpful. In general, this is a very reasonably easy, though not simplistic, read, and I do recommend it.

As an atheist, I personally believe the Gita should not be understood as a literal description of events, and any passages that make too precise a claim (like the ones about the age of the universe) should be gently ignored. Instead, the Gita should be understood as a beautiful literary allegory that triggers all the right food for thought in every chapter. This book is an excellent piece of philosophy worth comparing with any work of Stoicism or Zen as well modern schools like virtue ethics and psychoanalysis. The writing style and story will feel similar in places while presenting a fresh perspective on some of life's deepest questions. The most significant detail of this book compared to those others is the choice to have the information shared in a dialogue between 2 people, Arjuna and Krishna. For much of the time I was reading, I imagined Arjuna and Krishna as the conscious and unconscious struggling with the challenges of life inside a single individual, as described by Neumann's psychoanalysis. Imagining their dialogue and claims in this way led me to reflect deeply about my own particular conscious and unconscious, and the lessons on integration fit relevantly. This book is also a core text in the Advaita Vedanta tradition, where it's argued that each individual has a long-lasting Atman as well as short-lived Avatars. I also recommend interpreting the words of Arjuna and Krishna through this lens. There are probably several frameworks that fit, so try to keep in any mind that are relevant to you as you read. This book is great for reading short passages at a time or for seeking out particular topics when relevant. If you're performing some tough activity, I recommend reading some of the passages from time to time as a boost to fortitude. I've been reading during rest periods from working out, and it's like an inspiring jolt of focus for bringing 100% of my strength to every set. I firmly believe I'll be bringing chapters from this book out for the rest of my life.

The Gita has been something I've wanted to read for decades and many translations felt too lofty and academic. This one is concise on the whole and expansive where needed, particularly the chapter overviews and notes.