Bhagavad-Gita
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"Being a discourse between Arjuna, Prince of India, and the Supreme Being under the form of Krishna".This translation first published in 1900.According to Wikipedia: "The Bhagavad Gītā, also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that comprise the more general Vedic tradition. It is revealed scripture in the views of Hindus, the scripture for Hindus represents the words and message of god, the book is considered among the most important texts in the history of literature and philosophy... Sir Edwin Arnold CSI CIE (10 June 1832 – 24 March 1904) was an English poet and journalist, who is most known for his work, The Light of Asia."
Read more from Sir Edwin Arnold
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Reviews for Bhagavad-Gita
788 ratings21 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Read for class at Carleton University in 2016. I had read through lightly a long time ago, but used the ISKCON translation. I liked this one much better. Knowing a bit more of the background really helped me to get more out of it this time too. The descriptions in the final chapter of each term as it relates to the three gunas (material constituents) was particularly neat. I often didn't agree with the points of the philosophy (not believing in an eternal transmigrating self). And (relatedly) at times I felt strange that the doctrine was essentially being used to convince Arjuna that it was okay to kill thousands of his family and friends. Still I can see why this has been so widely read and I greatly enjoyed my reading.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The classic Indian examination of duty.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Couldn't get into this. I know, I feel like shit about it. But do you know how many of the words in this were "wotteth"?? Like 30.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I've read this translation, along with Easwaran's three volume commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, more than once. I don't really understand it, but I can see why this is a classic text of world spirituality. What I don't understand is what I need to understand better.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Friends,
why do you love this book? This book is awful. It's very smart, yes, and of course a great classic. But I want you to imagine a dialogue between Jesus and Charlemagne in which Charlemagne says he doesn't want to kill all the Germans because, well, they're his relatives, and it seems a bit silly. And Jesus counters this by saying I AM FREAKING GOD DO WHAT THE F*** I TELL YOU YOU HAVE NO OPTION ANYWAY LOOK I HAVE STARS IN MY BELLY!!!! and follows it up by saying that he, Jesus, determines everything and there is no free will but you *should* do the following things in order to really get to know Jesus.
Now, obviously I'm being polemical here. The BG has some very nice individual moments; it's a philosophical masterpiece akin to Boethius or Job; and, most remarkably for me, it essentially says that everything a benighted Westerner like myself thinks of when I think of Hinduism is wrong. The step from polytheism to monotheism is pretty much the greatest intellectual leap ever made, and who the heck am I to say that someone who makes that leap thousands of years before I was even born is only worth three stars?
Someone who thinks that determinism makes no sense in a religion, that Krishna is kind of a self-centered lunatic ("I AM THE CLARIFIED BUTTER! I AM THE HERB!"), and that justifying war by saying that if you're a warrior, you're logically compelled to kill your kin and besides, we have no option, is horrific.
And yet the hippies love this stuff. Almost as if they were really just repressing their inner Charles Manson. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The best detailed translation work of the Bhagavad Gita out there. It includes grammatical classification for each word, as well as a word for word translation. Every significant translated text should have the level of detail that this book has. As a student of Sanskrit, I would not agree with some of the verse interpretations of this book, but that will always be the case. I found a few typos and incorrect grammatical classifications, but overall it is amazing. The language is a bit dated, but nothing too archaic. A must have for the student of Sanskrit.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You really need to be interested and devoted to get something out of this text, but even if the material is not for you there are many wondrous scenes that can change the way you look at the world. So if you can stick with it and keep a clear head then this book has so much to offer, but if you can't then chances are it will just be confusing and you will think it is a waste of time. Definitely not for everyone.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For me, this is the best Baghavad Gita translation. Van Buitenen does not seem to have as much of a philosophical agenda as many other translations. The Sanskrit is included (for those of you with a sanskrit dictionary) and the English on the facing page.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely wonderful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I find Mascaro's introduction too syncretistic in trying to reconcile Christianity and Hindium. Both may be good things, but they are very different things.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I will always be grateful to Barbara Miller for her translation of the Bhagavad Gita for one overarching reason: her translation of Chapter 15, "The True Spirit of Man" pointed out the non-duality at the heart of the Gita, something that I had missed in other translations. Here's an excerpt:15:16"There is a double spirit of manin the world, transient and eternal-transient in all creatures,eternal at the summit of existence.....15:18Since I transcend what is transientand I am higher than the eternal,I am known as the supreme spirit of manin the world and in sacred lore."This was very useful to me since it pointed out that Krishna - or the Supreme Spirit - is more significant and more fundamental than both the transient and the eternal. In other words, this is a non-dual insight which goes beyond polytheism, monotheism, henotheism and kathenotheism. There is only Spirit - there is only Ati - and Miller beautifully captures the heart of this wisdom teaching in 15:16 and 15:18.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An excellent reading of the most read story in the world. Needleman, reads with the authority of someone who has studied the subject matter in depth for a long time.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5a great and necessary read for all. this translation is superb and accessible. I have read it three or four times now
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you are a seeker then you need to read this!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very much like the other "wisdom collections" of the time. I kind of enjoyed the frame concept of it being a conversations between two characters, rather than the author talking at the reader, such as with other collections of wisdom, but at the same time, I kind of just wanted it to get on with it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I picked this up because it is one of the essential texts of Hindu culture and I enjoy learning the history of culture and religions. This particular text is a series of conversations between the Arjuna (a warrior/prince) and the god Krishna. There are some interesting sections on what is the basis of action is and how we should approach it mentally and overcome our physical desires.I don't like to rate books that can be viewed as religious texts, so I give them all 3 stars as a rule.3/5
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Religious bullshit that sanctions violence because, according to Lord Krsna, men have souls so what does it matter if you kill them?? No thanks. I neither approve of nor recommend it. It claims truths simply on the authority of itself, which doesn't fly with me.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5"As a Seeker you must learn a much higher code of conduct then just those taught to you as a child. This requires your willingness to integrate many points of view. What wisdom list would be complete without at least a few perspectives about the divine? Start with your own then try the Bhagavad Gita. From the East. This version of the Bhagavad Gita is translated for easier reading for Westerners."
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/51885 translation of the Bhagavad Gita by a Victorian poet and journalist, who fashioned the Gita in the language of the King James Bible. One of the earlier English translations, and of value for that reason. Also reported to be the translation that Mohandas Gandhi first read as a law student in London with the Theososphical Society.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beautiful volume, oversized as Arjuna tries to work up his courage.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bhagavad-Gita, subtitled, Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War, if taken literally, is a little difficult to abide with. A young prince, Arjuna, is on a battlefield, but sees “no good in killing my kinsmen in battle”, and thus lays down his arms. This seems like a very good and enlightened thing to do. However, the lord Krishna, in the form of his charioteer, then instructs him through various teachings that it’s his sacred duty to fight, that he must do so, and in the end Arjuna agrees; his “delusion is destroyed”, something we may have difficulty accepting. Along the way Krishna flexes his might, pointing out in one chapter that among other things he is Vishnu, Shiva, the Ganges, “the thunderbolt among weapons”, death, “indestructible time”, “the dice game of gamblers”, “everywhere at once”, “the beginning, middle, and end of creations”, etc etc. This heavy-handed commanding of Arjuna, similar to God in the Old Testament with Abraham and Job, is also off-putting at first glance. One asks, how can this be a spiritual book, versus an alternate story which might have Arjuna remaining a nonviolent pacifist to the very end, accepting whatever punishment from this overbearing God that resulted? One must read the Gita as countless others have throughout history, as a parable. I believe the “time of war” is the war within one’s own heart in times of difficulty, which are inescapable in life; the enemies one must kill are the desires and attachments which lead to suffering. The way to overcome these is through discipline and a sense of detachment from one’s emotions. This includes losing one’s fear even of death, since it is inevitable for all things, and in fulfilling one’s sacred duties (one’s Dhama) without regard for rewards or consequences. It takes discipline and a steadfastness to do this, but it’s through these means that one can have a tranquil mind, and transcend the limitations of worldly existence. I believe the reason Krishna “flexes his muscles” in the text is to remind us that these things we feel, these powerful emotions which seem so important and like the entire world to us when we feel them, are nothing when compared against the eternity of time and the infinity of space. When put in that context, one sees that we shouldn’t concentrate on them, that they (and we ourselves) are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but we can ironically use this knowledge to become stronger, and to overcome suffering.Doing one’s sacred duty may in fact require one to be nonviolent, and it’s notable that Gandhi and other spiritual men have appreciated the Gita. As Thomas Merton wrote: “Arjuna has an instinctive repugnance for war, and that is the chief reason why war is chosen as the example of the most repellent kind of duty. The Gita is saying that even in what appears to be the most ‘unspiritual’, one can act with pure intentions and thus be guided by Krishna consciousness. This consciousness itself will impose the most strict limitations on one’s own use of violence because that use will not be directed by one’s own selfish interests, still less by cruelty, sadism, and blood-lust.”It’s an impressive text at 2200-2500 years old, and also poetic. I still recall reading the line “I see…the moon and sun in your eyes” while camping in Yosemite National Park long ago, and thinking of it as recently as this past week. Oppenheimer is famous for having quoted the Gita when he saw the first nuclear test: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. I don’t think it’s necessarily the pinnacle of philosophical or religious works, but it is profound and certainly worth reading.Quotes:On doing one’s duty, without regard for the results; just doing it:“Be intent on action,Not on the fruits of action;Avoid attraction to the fruitsAnd attachment to inaction!”On enlightenment:“Truly free is the sage who controlsHis senses, mind, and understanding,Who focuses on freedomAnd dispels desire, fear, and anger.”On love:“O Arjuna, only by theunswerving love of a human heart,can my supreme state be seen,and known, and attained.”
Book preview
Bhagavad-Gita - Sir Edwin Arnold
The Song Celestial or Bhagavad-Gita (From the Mahabharata), Being a Discourse Between Arjuna, Prince of India, and the Supreme Being Under the Form of Krishna
Translated from the Sanskrit Text by Sir Edwin Arnold, M.A., K.C.I.E., C.S.I.
Published by Seltzer Books
established in 1974, now offering over 14,000 books
feedback welcome: seltzer@seltzerbooks.com
Classics of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Indian literature, available from Seltzer Books:
The Bhagavad Gita of The Song Celestial translated by Sir Edwin Arnold
The Bhagavadgita with the Sanasugaiya and the Anugita
Buddhist Suttas
The Dhammapada
The Dharma Sutras
The Doctrine and Practice of Yoga
The Light of Asia by Edwin Arnold
Hindu Literature translated by Edwin Arnold
Hindoo Tales or The Adventurees of Ten Princes
Hindu Tales from the Sanskrit
Kama Sutra translated by Richard Burton
The Laws of Manu
The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry by Archer
The Mhabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
The Ramayan of Valmiki
The Upanishads
The Vedanta-Sutras
Works of Rabindranath Tagore, 10 books
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
1900
Dedication: To India
So have I read this wonderful and spirit-thrilling speech,
By Krishna and Prince Arjun held, discoursing each with each;
So have I writ its wisdom here,--its hidden mystery,
For England; O our India! as dear to me as She!
EDWIN ARNOLD
Preface
Chapter I. The Distress Of Arjuna
Chapter II. The Book Of Doctrines
Chapter III. Virtue In Work
Chapter IV. The Religion Of Knowledge
Chapter V. Religion Of Renouncing Works
Chapter VI. Religion By Self-Restraint
Chapter VII. Religion By Discernment
Chapter VIII. Religion By Service Of The Supreme
Chapter IX. Religion By The Kingly Knowledge And The Kingly Mystery
Chapter X. Religion By The Heavenly Perfections
Chapter XI. The Manifesting Of The One And Manifold
Chapter XII. Religion Of Faith
Chapter XIII. Religion By Separation Of Matter And Spirit
Chapter XIV. Religion By Separation From The Qualities
Chapter XV. Religion By Attaining The Supreme
Chapter XVI. The Separateness Of The Divine And Undivine
Chapter XVII. Religion By The Threefold Faith
Chapter XVIII. Religion By Deliverance And Renunciation
PREFACE
This famous and marvellous Sanskrit poem occurs as an episode of the Mahabharata, in the sixth--or Bhishma
--Parva of the great Hindoo epic. It enjoys immense popularity and authority in India, where it is reckoned as one of the ``Five Jewels,--pancharatnani--of Devanagiri literature. In plain but noble language it unfolds a philosophical system which remains to this day the prevailing Brahmanic belief, blending as it does the doctrines of Kapila, Patanjali, and the Vedas. So lofty are many of its declarations, so sublime its aspirations, so pure and tender its piety, that Schlegel, after his study of the poem, breaks forth into this outburst of delight and praise towards its unknown author:
Magistrorum reverentia a Brachmanis inter sanctissima pietatis officia refertur. Ergo te primum, Vates sanctissime, Numinisque hypopheta! quisquis tandem inter mortales dictus tu fueris, carminis bujus auctor,, cujus oraculis mens ad excelsa quaeque,quaeque,, aeterna atque divina, cum inenarraoih quddam delectatione rapitur-te primum, inquam, salvere jubeo, et vestigia tua semper adore." Lassen re-echoes this splendid tribute; and indeed, so striking are some of the moralities here inculcated, and so close the parallelism--ofttimes actually verbal-- between its teachings and those of the New Testament, that a controversy has arisen between Pandits and Missionaries on the point whether the author borrowed from Christian sources, or the Evangelists and Apostles from him.
This raises the question of its date, which cannot be positively settled. It must have been inlaid into the ancient epic at a period later than that of the original Mahabharata, but Mr Kasinath Telang has offered some fair arguments to prove it anterior to the Christian era. The weight of evidence, however, tends to place its composition at about the third century after Christ; and perhaps there are really echoes in this Brahmanic poem of the lessons of Galilee, and of the Syrian incarnation.
Its scene is the level country between the Jumna and the Sarsooti rivers-now Kurnul and Jheend. Its simple plot consists of a dialogue held by Prince Arjuna, the brother of King Yudhisthira, with Krishna, the Supreme Deity, wearing the disguise of a charioteer. A great battle is impending between the armies of the Kauravas and Pandavas, and this conversation is maintained in a war-chariot drawn up between the opposing hosts.
The poem has been turned into French by Burnouf, into Latin by Lassen, into Italian by Stanislav Gatti, into Greek by Galanos, and into English by Mr. Thomson and Mr Davies, the prose transcript of the last-named being truly beyond praise for its fidelity and clearness. Mr Telang has also published at Bombay a version in colloquial rhythm, eminently learned and intelligent, but not conveying the dignity or grace of the original. If I venture to offer a translation of the wonderful poem after so many superior scholars, it is in grateful recognition of the help derived from their labours, and because English literature would certainly be incomplete without possessing in popular form a poetical and philosophical work so dear to India.
There is little else to say which the Song Celestial
does not explain for itself. The Sanskrit original is written in the Anushtubh metre, which cannot be successfully reproduced for Western ears. I have therefore cast it into our flexible blank verse, changing into lyrical measures where the text itself similarly breaks. For the most part, I believe the sense to be faithfully preserved in the following pages; but Schlegel himself had to say: In reconditioribus me semper poetafoster mentem recte divinasse affirmare non ausim.
Those who would read more upon the philosophy of the poem may find an admirable introduction in the volume of Mr Davies, printed by Messrs Trubner & Co.
EDWIN ARNOLD, C.S.I.
RELIGION BY DELIVERANCE AND RENUNCIATION
CHAPTER I. THE DISTRESS OF ARJUNA
Dhritirashtra:
Ranged thus for battle on the sacred plain--
On Kurukshetra--say, Sanjaya! say
What wrought my people, and the Pandavas?
Sanjaya:
When he beheld the host of Pandavas,
Raja Duryodhana to Drona drew,
And spake these words: "Ah, Guru! see this line,
How vast it is of Pandu