Bhagavad-Gita – The Song of God
Commentary by Mohandas K. Gandhi.
127 Pages | First edition 2002, reprinted 2003 | Softcover | Axiom Publishing, Australia | ISBN: 1864761709.
‘When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me: and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meaning from it every day’. – Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Mohandas Gandhi was a Hindu from birth and consequently always had a copy of the Bhagavad Gita close by. However, it was not until he was a law student living in England that he gained a firm grasp on its real meaning. It was this deeper meaning, which would guide him in all he was to do.
From Discourse 15 – ‘ Purushottama Yoga’ (p. 109):
” 12. The light in the sun which illumines the whole universe and which is in the moon and in fire – that light, know thou, is Mine;
13. It is I, who penetrating the earth uphold all beings with My strengh, and becoming the moon – the essence of all sap – nourish all the herbs;
14. It is i who becoming the Vaishvanara Fire and entering the bodies of all that breathe, assimilate the four kinds of food with the help of the outward and the inward breaths.
15. And am I seated in the hearts of all, from Me proceed memory, knowledge and the dispelling of doubts; it is I who am to be known in all the Vedas, I, the author of Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas. “
The Bhagavad Gita (Vintage)
Translated and with a Preface by Eknath Easwaran (1910 – 1999).
122 Pages | A Vintage Spiritual Classic Original 2000; abridged version | Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., New York | ISBN: 9780375705557.
The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit for ‘Song of the Lord’) is the most famous poem in all of Hindu literature and part of the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic. The Gita consists of a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna on the morning of a climactic battle. Krishna provides Prince Arjuna with the spiritual means to take action under trying circumstances . Of course, the larger canvas painted in the poetry is that of the moral universe of Hinduism. As the late noted teacher and scholar Eknath Easwaran writes in the Preface:
‘The Gita does not present a system of philosophy. It offers something to every seeker after God, of whatever temperament, by whatever path. The reason for this universal appeal is that it is basically practical: it is a handbook for Self-realization and a guide to action’.
From Chapter 4 – ‘Wisdom in Action’ (p. 25):
” The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results; all his selfish desires have been consumed in the fire of knowledge. The wise, ever satisfied, have abandoned all external supports. Their security is unaffected by the results of their action; even while acting, they really do nothing at all. Free from expectations and from all sense of possession, with mind and body firmly controlled by the Self, they do not incur sin by the performance of physical action. “
Bhagavad Gītā – De Dialoog Tussen Krishna En Arjuna Uit De Mahābhārata
Vertaald door Erik Mossel.
144 Pages | Uitgegeven in 1993 | Hardcover | Panta Rhei, Katwijk | ISBN: 9073207355.
De Bhagavad Gītā, ‘het Lied van de Heer’, behoort tot de klassieken van de wereldliteratuur. Het is het populairste deel van de Mahābhārata, het grote Indische helden-epos, dat van voor onze jaartelling dateert. Sinds de recente televisiebewerking van Peter Brooks staat dit boek weer opnieuw in de belangstelling. De Bhagavad Gītā, geschreven in metrische, niet-rijmende verzen, geeft de samenspraak weer tussen de Hindoe-Godheid Krishna en de boogschutter Arjuna. Beiden staan aan het begin van een grote strijd tussen de legers van twee aan elkaar verwante families. Krishna strijdt mee als de wagenmenner van Arjuna, aan de kant van de Pandu’s. Voordat de strijd losbarst twijfelt Arjuna, bij het zien van talrijke familieleden en vrienden, aan de taak die hij moet vervullen. Op dat kritieke ogenblik ontstaat de befaamde dialoog tussen Krishna en Arjuna zoals die werd opgetekend in de Bhagavad Gītā, en die uitgroeide tot een boodschap van universele waarde voor de mensheid. Krishna herinnert Arjuna niet alleen aan zijn ware taak in dit leven, ook onderricht hij hem over het wezen van zijn leven en dood, over karma en reïncarnatie, en over de manier waarop de universele krachten van de natuur alles sturen.
Afkomstig van blz. 37:
” 38 | Beschouw plezier en pijn, winst en verlies, overwinning en nederlaag met gelijke ogen en ga zo de strijd in, dan is er geen zonde die u raakt.
39 | Hiermee heb ik u dan de theorie van Sankhya bijgebracht om kennis van yoga te krijgen. Luister dan nu hoe zij toegepast wordt, Zoon van Pritha, dan kunt u loskomen van de banden die het gevolg zijn van uw handelingen.
40 | Geen poging is hierin tevergeefs, geen inspanning gaat verloren, de geringste vervulling van deze plicht beschermt tegen groot gevaar. “
Illuminations of the Bhagavad-Gītā
By Kim and Chris Murray.
79 Pages | Copyright 1980/1998, Miniature Edition 2000 | Hardcover | Mandala Publishing Group, San Francisco U.S.A. | ISBN: 1886069328.
‘You cannot see Me with your present eyes.
Therefore I give you divine eyes, so that you
can behold My mystic opulence’.
- Bhagavad-Gītā 11-8.
This opulent presentation of the Bhagavad-Gītā, India’s great spiritual master-piece, is unique. Profusely illustrated with over forty color plates and more than fifty black and white drawings, this edition provides a fresh and stunning look at the immensely popular classic. The authors Kim and Chris Murray were inspired by the timeless knowledge and mysticism of the Bhagavad-Gītā and their personal association with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the translator of the book’s verses.
From page 15:
” For the Soul there is never birth nor death nor having once been, does he ever cease to be.
He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying and primeval.
He is not slain when the body is slain. “
The Bhagavad Gita – The Song Celestial with Introduction and Notes
By Sir Edwin Lester Arnold (1832 – 1904), introduction by Alan Jacobs.
188 Pages | First published in 1885 as The Celestial Song, this is the 2006 edition | Hardcover | Watkins Publishing, London | ISBN: 9781842931240.
” There lives a Master in the hearts of Men, maketh their deeds, by subtle pulling-strings, dance to what tune He will. With all thy Soul Trust Him, and take Him for thy succour, Prince! “
The Bhagavad Gita, or Song Celestial, is the sacred testament central to Hinduism, the most ancient of the great world religions. Brahman is the Absolute Supreme Reality underlying all forms. Human beings accumulate Karma as a result of their actions in innumerable incarnations, until they obtain liberation through the practices of devotion and knowledge. The Bhagavad Gita, as the essential gospel of Hinduism, explains mankind’s predicament and points the way to freedom.
This poetic gospel is attributed to the Divine Messenger, Lord Krishna, who on the battlefield gives the warrior-prince, Arjuna, detailed and profound spiritual guidance. Arjuna is perplexed by his involvement in a war and Lord Krishna unveils inspiring philosophical wisdom leading to the solution of Arjuna’s problem and his self-realization.
Bhagavad Gītā – A New Translation
By Stephen Mitchell.
223 Pages | Originally published by Harmony Books a divison of Random House Inc. in 2000, first paperback edition | Softcover | Three Rivers Press – The Crown Publishing Group, New York | ISBN: 0609810340.
Stephen Mitchell is widely known for his ability to make ancient Masterpieces thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and create versions that are definitive for our time. His celebrated translations of the Tao Te Ching, Rilke, and The B0ok of Job have won the hearts of readers and critics alike. The Bhagavad Gītā is universally acknowledged as one of the world’s literary and spiritual masterpieces. It is the core text of the Hindu tradition and has been treasured by American writers from Emerson to T.S. Eliot.
There have been more than two hundred English translations of the Gītā, but none of them, until now, is a superlative literary text in its own right. This translation sings with the clarity, the vigor, and the intensity of the original Sanskrit.
From Chapter 4 – ‘The Yoga of Wisdom’, (p. 72 & 73) [4.3 – 6 / 4.7 – 11]:
The Blessed Lord said:
” Many times I have been born, and many times you (Arjuna) have also. All these lives I remember; you recall only this one. Although I am unborn, deathless, the infinite Lord of all beings, through my own wondrous power I come into finite form. Whenever righteousness falters and chaos threatens to prevail, I take on a human body and manifest myself on earth. In order to protect the good, to destroy the doers of evil, to ensure the triumph of righteousness, in every age I am born. Whoever knows, profoundly, my divine presence on earth is not reborn when he leaves the body, but comes to me. Released from greed, fear, anger, absorbed in me and made pure by the practice of wisdom, many have attained my own state of being. However men try to reach me, I return their love with my love; whatever path they may travel, it leads to me in the end. “
The Bhagavad Gītā
Translated by Laurie L. Patton.
234 Pages | First published by Penguin Classics in 2008 | Soft cover | Penguin Books, London | ISBN: 9780140447903.
” Know this: that with which all this world is woven is not to be destroyed. No one is able to effect the destruction of the imperishable . . . “
The Bhagavad Gītā is an early epic poem that recounts the conversation between Arjuna the warrior and his charioteer Krishna, a manifestation of God. In the moments before a great battle, Krishna sets out the important lessons Arjuna must learn to understand his own role in the war he is about to fight. Krishna reveals to Arjuna his true cosmic form and counsels the warrior to act according to his sacred obligations. Ranging from instructions on yoga to dense moral discussion, the Gita is one of the most important Hindu texts, and has served for centuries as an everyday, practical guide to living well,
From the Ninth discourse 17 – 20:
The Blessed One said:
” I am the father of the world – its mother, its arranger and its grandfather; I am what is to be known; the purifier; the sound ‘OM’; the Rig, the Sama and the Yajur Veda.
I am the way, the bearer, the great lord, the one who sees. I am home, and shelter, the heart’s companion. I am birth, death and sustenance; I am the house of treasure, and the eternal seed.
I give off heat, and I am the rain. I hold back and I send out. I am sweet immortality, as well as death; being and non-being, Arjuna.
Those who know the Vedas and drink Soma, cleansed of their evils seek heaven, and offer to me with sacrifices. They reach the pure world of Indra, and enjoy the divine pleasures of the gods in heaven. “
Bhagavad Gītā – The Song Divine
By Carl E. Woodham.
98 Pages | First printing 2000 | Hardcover | Torchlight Publishing, Badger | ISBN: 1887089268.
Based on the Bhagavad Gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977).
The Bhagavad Gītā, India’s greatest spiritual treatise, contains far too much drama to remain the exclusive property of philosophers and religionists. Woodham presents the timeless wisdom of the Gita in contemporary English poetry, bringing to life its ancient yet perennially applicable message. It recounts in metered stanzas the historic conversation between Krishna, the Supreme Mystic and the mighty warrior Arjuna as they survey the battlefield preparations for the greatest world war of all time.
Krishna’s illuminating conversation with Arjuna forms the core of the Mahābhārata’s teachings, that has proven so inspiring to millions. Yet, it’s easy to overlook Krishna in the thicket of Bhagavad Gītā translations. Most dismiss Krishna as a myth or a mouthpiece for some greater formless Being. To do so is to miss the central point of the Bhagavad Gītā: bhakti, or joyous loving devotion to Krishna. The greatest luminaries of India’s rich spiritual heritage, such as Ramanuja, Madhva and Caitanya, have all drawn this devotional conclusion from Bhagavad Gītā .
The Bhagavad Gītā – A Guide to Navigating The Battle of Life
By Ravi Ravindra.
302 Pages | First edition 2017 | Paperback | Shambhala Publications, Inc, Boulder, U.S.A. | ISBN:
‘ All there is, is KRISHNA. ‘
Upon hearing this famous and enigmatic line from the Gita’s seventh chapter when he was a boy, Ravi Ravindra embarked on a journey to understand its deep meaning. The search led him far beyond the tradition from which the text originally arose to an exploration of World Mystical Wisdom, including Zen, Christianity, Yoga, and particularly the teachings of J. Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986) and G.I. Gurdjieff (1866 – 1949).
Dr. Ravindra’s fresh prose translation with wide-ranging commentary is the fruit of that life-long process. It stands out from the many other versions with its assertion, that the Bhagavad Gita is at heart a universal Guide to navigating the battle of life required of each and every one of us. It is through that navigation, he shows, that we can discover and connect with the KRISHNA deep within ourselves: the Eternal Witness, who is above the battle, and who is, ultimately and joyfully, All there is . . .
Studies in de Bhagavad Gītā
Door Tallapragada Subba Row (1856 – 1890), vertaald door Margreet Meijer-Kouwe met een historisch overzicht door Henk J. Spierenburg.
200 Bladzijden | 1999, Oorspronkelijk verschenen in The Theosophist februari 1886 / juli 1887, Adyar | Hardcover | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland | ISBN: 9061750784.
English original: The Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gītā – ‘Four Lectures delivered at the 11th Annual Convention of the Theosophical Society, held at Adyar on December 27-30, 1886’ | Published in 1921 by The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN unknown.
Naast een Nederlandse vertaling van vijf lezingen van Subba Row over de Bhagavad Gītā, bevat dit boek een historische beschrijving van zijn leven, voetnoten, bijlagen, een bibliografie, een woordenlijst en een index door Henk Spierenburg.
Al vroeg werd duidelijk dat Subba Row beschikte over meer dan een normaal verstand. Hij studeerde onder andere rechten en geologie en blonk in beide vakken uit. Hoewel hij nimmer aan een universiteit Sanskriet studeerde, had hij een grote kennis van die taal en de Sanskriet literatuur. Wie dit boekje leest, kan niets anders dan doen dan tot dezelfde conclusie komen. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831 – 1891), de belangrijkste stichtster van De Theosofische Vereniging, schreef na zijn overlijden in 1890 – net 1 jaar voor haar eigen overlijden – dat India een van haar grootste geleerden had verloren.
Afkomstig van bladzijde 5:
” Men kan de Bhagavad Gītā zien als de woorden, die een goeroe spreekt tot een chela, die vastbesloten is afstand te doen van alle wereldse begeerten en aspiraties, maar die toch een zekere moedeloosheid voelt, welke veroorzaakt wordt door de schijnbare leegte van zijn bestaan. Dit boek omvat 18 hoofdstukken, die alle nauw met elkaar in verband staan. Ieder hoofdstuk beschrijft een bepaald aspect van het menselijk leven. De studerende moet dit in gedachten houden, wanneer hij/zij een boek leest en hij/zij moet trachten die overeenstemmingen erin op te sporen. ”
T. Subba Row werd op 6 juni 1856 geboren in een Brahmaanse familie die behoorde tot de advaita richting van het hindoeïsme. Al vroeg werd duidelijk dat hij beschikte over een meer dan normaal verstand. Hij studeerde onder andere rechten en geologie en blonk in beide vakken uit. Hoewel hij nimmer aan een universiteit Sanskriet studeerde, had hij een grote kennis van die taal en de Sanskriet literatuur. Wie dit boekje leest kan niets anders doen dan tot dezelfde conclusie komen. H.P. Blavatsky, de belangrijkste stichtster van de Theosofische Vereniging schreef na zijn overlijden in 1890 dat India een van de grootste geleerden had verloren.
Bhagavad Gita
Door Drs. C. Keus.
160 Pages | ISBN: 9789020214659.
De Bhagavad Gita (’s Heren lied) is het zesde deel van het beroemde Indiase epos, de Mahābhārata. Het is een van de oudste en mooiste boeken uit de wereld-literatuur en de bijbel van de oosterling. Het geeft het gesprek weer tussen Arjuna, de boogschutter, en zijn wagenmenner Krishna, de Heer. Arjuna staat vlak voor een grote veldslag tegen een nauw verwante stam. Hij kijkt naar de vijand en realiseert zich dat zich onder de vijand vele dierbare bloedverwanten, leraren en vrienden bevinden. Hij twijfelt en wil geen oorlog voeren. Op dat moment raakt hij in gesprek met Krishna, die hem vertelt over het wezen van leven en dood.
Afkomstig uit Hoofdstuk V – ‘De Yoga van de Verzaking van Handeling’ (p. 60):
Arjuna zei:
” 1. Verzaking van handeling, prijst gij, o Krishna, en eveneens looft ge yoga. Welke van deze twee is de beste? Zegt me dit met stelligheid.
De gezegende Heer zei:
2. Verzaking van handeling en yoga voeren beide tot het hoogste geluk; van deze twee is yoga van handeling beter dan verzaking van handeling.
3. Als ware asceet (sannyasi) moet men hem beschouwen, die geen haat koestert en niet begeert; vrij van de paren van tegenstellingen, o machtigarmige, zal hij gemakkelijk bevrijd worden van gebondenheid.
4. Slechts kinderen (onwetenden), niet als de wijzen (pandita) maken verschil tussen de sankhya en de yoga, hij die goed gefundeerd is in de ene verwerft zich de vruchten van beide.
5. De staat die verkregen wordt door de sankhya’s, wordt eveneens bereikt door de yogi’s. Hij die ziet dat sankhya en yoga een zijn, heeft de juiste macht.
6. Maar zonder yoga, o machtigarmige, is verzaking moeilijk te bewerkstelligen. De wijze (muni) door yoga tot harmonie gebracht, komt spoedig tot het eeuwige Brahman. “
Notes on the Bhagavad-Gītā
The first seven Chapters by William Quan Judge (1851 – 1896) and the remaining Chapters by a Student taught by him.
237 Pages | Copyright 1918 | Hardcover | Theosophy Company, Los Angeles U.S.A. | ISBN: 0938998102.
This book has been made possible by the generosity of a Student, who is a member of The United Lodge of Theosophists. The matter in it appeared in the Magazine Theosophy, published by that Lodge, in various issues from November, 1913, to February, 1917. Notes upon Chapters One to Seven, inclusive, were written by William Q. Judge and were first printed in his magazine The Path, appearing in various numbers from 1887 to 1895. These Notes by Mr. Judge were signed ‘William Brehon, F.T.S.,’ or ‘William Brehon’, pen names used by Mr. Judge.
The Notes for the remaining eleven Chapters were written by a Student of Mr. Judge, one who was personally taught by him and whose explanations and comments will be found in accord with the spirit and genius of his teacher.
From Chapter Seventeenth (p. 224 & 225):
” The last section of this Chapter refers to the three-fold designation of the Supreme Spirit as Om, Tat, Sat, the tri-une Deity in its triple aspects corresponding to creation, preservation and destruction while re-creating, or in order to re-create. The word Om or Aum is at once an invocation of the highest within, a benediction, an affirmation, and a promise; its proper use is said to lead to a realization of the Self within. The Aum contains within itself all the aspects and implies the Universe controlled by the Supreme Spirit. It represents the constant current of meditation, which ought to be carried on by every man, even while engaged in the necessary duties of life. There is for every conditioned being a target at which the aim is constantly directed; in the ‘Mundakya Upanishad’ there is the following:
‘Om is the bow, the Self is the arrow, Brahman is called its aim. It is to be hit by a man, who is not thoughtless; and then as the arrow becomes one with the target, he will become one with Brahman. Know him alone as the Self, and leave off other words. He is the bridge of the Immortal. Meditate on the Self as Om’. “
The Bhagavad-Gita – Recension By William Q. Judge
By William Quan Judge (1851 – 1896)
220 Pages | Published in 1978 | Softcover | Theosophical University Press, Pasadena U.S.A. | ISBN: 0911500286.
Combined with his Essays on the Gita.
Both I and thou have passed through many births, O harasser of thy foes! Mine are known unto me, but thou knowest not of thine. Even though myself unborn, of changeless essence, and the lord of all existence, yet in presiding over nature – which is mine – I am born but through my own maya, the mystic power of self-ideation, the eternal thought in the eternal mind. I produce myself among creatures, O son of Bharata, whenever there is a decline of virtue and an insurrection of vice and injustice in the world; and thus I incarnate from age to age for the preservation of the just, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of righteousness.
From Chapter II (p. 147):
” That we all labor together transmitting the same charge and succession,
We few equals indifferent of lands, indifferent of times,
We, enclosers of all continents, all castes, allowers of all theologies,
Compassionaters, perceivers, rapport of men,
We walk silent among disputes and assertions, but reject not the disputers nor anything that is asserted,
We hear the bawling and din, we are reach’d at by divisions,
jealousies, recriminations on every side,
They close peremptorily upon us to surround us, my comrade,
Yet we walk unheld, free, the whole earth over, journeying up
and down till we make our ineffaceable mark upon time and the diverse eras,
Till we saturate time and eras, that the men and women of races, ages to come,
may prove brethren and lovers as we are. “
Bhagavad-Gita – The Song of God
Introduction by Aldus Huxley (1894 – 1963), translation by Swami Prabhavananda (1893 – 1963) and Christopher Isherwood (1904 – 1986).
179 Pages | First published in 1944, fourth edition 1987 | Softcover | Vedanta Press, Hollywood | ISBN: 9780874810431.
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the great religious classics of the world and one of the most translated next to the Bible. The story concerns the plight of Arjuna, the commander of an army, who must fight a war. After seeing his friends and kinsmen on the opposing side, Arjuna tells Krishna, his friend and spiritual guide, that he won’t fight, even though it’s his duty.
Krishna’s reply deals not only with Arjuna’s problem of whether or not to fight a just war, but with with questions that concern all of us. How should we deal with our problems in a hostile world? Why is there misery? Why do we exist? Krishna goes to heart of these matters to help solve our most difficult problems. Yet, there is no one answer.
From Chapter X – ‘Divine Glory’ (p. 107):
SRI KRISHNA:
” I am where all things began, the issuing-forth of the creatures. Known to the wise in their love when they worship with hearts overflowing:
Mind and sense are absorbed, I alone am the theme of their discourse: Thus delighting each other, they live in bliss and contentment.
Always aware of their Lord are they, and ever devoted: Therefore the strength of their thought is illumined and guided toward me.
There in the ignorant heart where I dwell, by the grace of my mercy, I am knowledge, that brilliant lamp, dispelling its darkness. “
The Bhagavad Gītā (Sanskrit Text, Grammar and Word-for-Word Translation)
By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).
460 Pages | Second edition, 1926 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592895.
The Bhagavad Gītā (lit. ‘Song of the Lord’) is one of the most important basic texts for the study of Hinduism, and has attracted the attention and admiration of thinkers throughout the world. The first edition of this great world scripture with the English translation and notes by Annie Besant (1847 – 1933) and Bhagavan Das ((1869 – 1958) was published in 1905; since then many other excellent editions and expositions of the text have come out. Still, the Bhagavad Gītā by Annie Besant and Bhagavan Das holds a unique place.
The Song Celestial – A Poetic Version of the Bhagavad Gītā (A Quest Miniature)
By Sir Edwin Lester Arnold (1832 – 1904).
154 Pages | First edition 1970, Quest Miniature Series 1975 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835604187.
The incomparable religious classic of India . . .
In exquisite poetic allegory, Sir Edwin Lester Arnold translates the revered and sacred story of Arjuna and Krishna, representing the eternal struggle between the personality and the Immortal Self.
” Take my last word. My utmost meaning have! Precious thou art to Me; right well-be-loved! Listen! I tell thee for thy comfort this. Give Me thy heart! Adore Me! Serve Me! Cling in faith and love and reverence to Me! So shalt thou come to Me! I promise true, For thou art sweet to Me! “
The Song Celestial or Bhagavad-Gītā (from the Mahābhārata)
By Sir Edwin Lester Arnold (1832 – 1904).
154 Pages | First edition 1970 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 0835672301.
The incomparable religious classic of India . . .
In exquisite poetic allegory, Sir Edwin Lester Arnold translates the revered and sacred story of Arjuna and Krishna, representing the eternal struggle between the personality and the Immortal Self.
” Take my last word. My utmost meaning have! Precious thou art to Me; right well-be-loved! Listen! I tell thee for thy comfort this. Give Me thy heart! Adore Me! Serve Me! Cling in faith and love and reverence to Me! So shalt thou come to Me! I promise true, For thou art sweet to Me! “