The Bhagavad Gita (Classic of Indian Spirituality)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in The Bhagavad Gita (Classic of Indian Spirituality) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Prince Arjuna faced a dilemma that many face sooner or later--whether or not to take action that is necessary yet morally ambiguous. The difference is that Arjuna's action was to wage war against his own family. With the armies arrayed, Arjuna loses his nerve. Krishna, his charioteer and incarnation of divine consciousness, begins to teach him the nature of God and of himself, that Arjuna can attain liberation through union with God, and that there are several available paths. And so the most famous and revered of all Hindu scriptures goes on to teach the paths of knowledge, of devotion, of action, and of meditation, becoming the seed for all the Hindu systems of philosophy and religion that followed. For all of its profundity, Eknath Easwaran manages to translate the Gita in easy prose that neither panders nor obscures. Coupled with his thorough introduction, Easwaran's version comes off on all the levels it should: as a guide to action, as devotional scripture, as a philosophical text, and as inspirational reading. So what does Arjuna finally do? He follows his dharma, of course, as we all must. --Brian Bruya
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
The Bhagavad Gita ("Song of the Lord") is considered the most influential of all the Hindu scriptures and is one of the greatest spiritual classics of the world. Comprised of eighteen chapters taken from the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, the Gita presents a conversation that takes place on a battlefield just as two groups of relatives are about to wage war against one another. Facing the forces of greed, anger, and hatred, the warrior-prince Arjuna loses heart and refuses to fight his own kin. His friend and charioteer, Lord Krishna, who represents the Divine within, tells him: "Your very nature will drive you to fight." In the ensuing dialogue, Krishna teaches Arjuna, and all of us, how we can face bravely the unavoidable challenges and conflicts of life--and win the greatest of all battles, against the tumultuous emotions within our own hearts. Eknath Easwaran's eloquent translation and Diana Morrison's chapter introductions, which summarize major religious concepts, make this edition especially accessible for modern readers of any religion.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
SRI KRISHNA CONSOLES and instructs Prince Arjuna as he is about to go into battle against family and friends to defend his older brother's claim to the ancient throne of the Kurus. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
SRI KRISHNA CONSOLES and instructs Prince Arjuna as he is about to go into battle against family and friends to defend his older brother's claim to the ancient throne of the Kurus. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
No wonder this is the best-selling translation of this Indian classic work! Easwaran gives a full introduction, putting the Gita into the context of the literature and traditions of the time, and showing how it relates to modern philosophy. Sanskrit concepts that are quite difficult to translate into English are explained carefully, as is the relationship with Yoga. The translation itself is vivid and convincing, and the book is cleverly divided, with each chapter preceded by a clear explanation of the difficult concepts to come in that chapter.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm buying this as I'll soon have to give the library copy back! The library copy is ISBN 0-14-019008-2 which I hope is an older edition of the same text.
Arjuna asks questions that I think a lot of us do end up asking. The responses and Arjuna's followup questions are quite inspirational. Having Arjuna as a soldier makes things even more interesting. The soldier must deal with the moral questions of a job which involves killing.
I don't know whether I found this easier to read because I'd already learned a lot about the philosophy of yoga before I read it. A lot of yoga texts refer back to this, and for a yogi I think it is great to go back to the beginning and the original meanings of why we're doing all this. Eknath's text does introduce the concepts incredibly well, so the book should be able to stand out on its own without previous knowledge.
It also puts the different paths into perspective. Eknath's discussion covers other philosophies including Christianity in relation to this and allows you to see how much they all have in common.
Arjuna asks questions that I think a lot of us do end up asking. The responses and Arjuna's followup questions are quite inspirational. Having Arjuna as a soldier makes things even more interesting. The soldier must deal with the moral questions of a job which involves killing.
I don't know whether I found this easier to read because I'd already learned a lot about the philosophy of yoga before I read it. A lot of yoga texts refer back to this, and for a yogi I think it is great to go back to the beginning and the original meanings of why we're doing all this. Eknath's text does introduce the concepts incredibly well, so the book should be able to stand out on its own without previous knowledge.
It also puts the different paths into perspective. Eknath's discussion covers other philosophies including Christianity in relation to this and allows you to see how much they all have in common.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This version is very readable, short and simple yet packed with concepts. You have to read this! There is a reason why this version is the most popular one especially for someone like me who doesn't know much on Hinduism.
I am looking to buy other versions now to understand this great work.
I am looking to buy other versions now to understand this great work.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent introduction and translation
I have all three books in this series. I started with the Upanishads, and found the translation to be very informed and quite brilliant. Read more
Published 26 days ago by BabyBoris
Must have book for all yoga teachers
I'm a yoga teacher and have just started adding a bit of yoga philosophy into my classes. I have a few other gita books (by other authors), but this is by far the best. Read more
Published 11 months ago by George A. Watts
Boomerang
Still getting through this book. A teacher recommended to understand yoga from different view point. Verdict still not decided upon yet? sorry
Published 12 months ago by Boomerang
nice easy translation of an Indian Classic
This book is such a pleasure to read. But more specifically this translation was easy to follow and so insightful. Read more
Published 12 months ago by divediva
The Bhagavad Gita
Very easy to follow i am only just starting my journey into this type of spiritual work. I think that this is a good translation of a very old and usfull text.
Published 14 months ago by Lizzy
An essential for all spiritual aspirants
By far the best translation of the Gita I have read to date (have read 2 others). Eknath Easwaran's literary style makes this classic very readable and enjoyable. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Casual Buyer 85
Clear and helpful
I'm studying to be a yoga teacher and I found this translation of the Bhagavad Gita very helpful due to the useful commentary that precedes each chapter.
Published 18 months ago by Gemma
Essential reading
Easwaran does a very special thing here. He introduces this great spiritual text and puts it into a context that is relevant for modern times. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Christos Christophy
Wish I could give it 10 Stars !!
If you have the chance to read only one book in your life, this should be the one you pick.
Just reading 2 pages from the beginning gives one a fresh outlook. Read more
Just reading 2 pages from the beginning gives one a fresh outlook. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Swapnil Kumar Raktale
New Student
A small easy to read introduction to Bhagavad Gita, good expainations and you can dip in and out of the book
Published on 11 Jan 2010 by yogamichele
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
