Bhagavad Gita

by Schweig, Graham M.

• ISBN13: 9780060754259
• ISBN10: 0060754257
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-12-29
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

The best, most recent, elegant and accessible English translation of the "Bible" of India, with glossary, pronunciation guide, and expert commentary for ease of understanding. The Bhagavad Gita is often thought of as the "bible" of India. It is unquestionably the most important sacred text of the Asian world, and it is the third most important among all scriptures of the world, after the Bible and the Qur'an. Each of the popular and readily available editions seem to be lacking in several areas, and there is a need for an edition that combines a variety of features. There is no extant edition that possesses all of the features mentioned below, and some of those features are not found in any other translation. The Bhagavad Gita tells the story of the moral struggles of the warrior Arjuna. Before the start of a great battle between good and evil, our hero entertains the big questions of life and death with his charioteer who is (unbeknownst to Arjuna) the Hindu god Krishna in disguise. By the end of the story, Eastern beliefs of mortality and reincarnation, the caste system and social responsibility, family loyalty and spiritual devotion are explained and discussed, with one of the most powerfully written and moving descriptions of a "vision of god" in all of world literature. This is a classic that has stood the test of 23 centuries. Marketing Points: Fresh translation in free verse form which is a literal translation loyal to original A pleasing poetic presentation of verse lines Has an ease of reading and understanding

Table of Contents

The meaning of Bhagavad Gita	p. 3
The Bhagavad Gita in context	p. 4
Outer and inner conflict	p. 6
Literary dimensions	p. 11
Bhagavad Gita	p. 15
Dramatis personae	p. 17
The setting	p. 17
Epithets	p. 18
Arjuna's conflict and despair	p. 21
The way of discernment	p. 35
The way of action	p. 57
The way of knowledge	p. 69
The way of renunciation	p. 81
The way of meditation	p. 91
The way of realized knowledge	p. 107
The transcendent brahman	p. 117
The king of secrets	p. 127
The sublime presence of divinity	p. 137
Vision of the universal form	p. 151
The way of love	p. 169
Primordial nature and the person	p. 175
The qualities of nature	p. 185
The ultimate person	p. 193
The divine and ungodly natures	p. 201
The three types of faith	p. 209
The supreme secret of yoga	p. 219
Textual illuminations	p. 243
The yoga of the Bhagavad Gita	p. 245
Sanjaya : minister and visionary	p. 253
Arjuna : warrior and softhearted soul	p. 256
Krishna : intimate and infinite divinity	p. 259
The secret love song	p. 272
Sanskrit text	p. 279
On the English transliteration	p. 281
Recitation of Sanskrit verse	p. 282
The complete Sanskrit text	p. 283
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Bhagavad Gita
The Beloved Lord's Secret Love Song

Chapter One

Arjuna's Conflict and Despair

Dhritarashtra said:

On the field of dharma,
on the field of Kuru,
assembled together
desiring to fight,
Were my armies
and indeed those
of the sons of Pandu—
how did they act, O Sanjaya?1

1

Sanjaya said:

Now seeing the armies
of the Pandavas arrayed
in battle formation,
King Duryodhana,
approaching his teacher,
spoke these words:2

2

[Duryodhana said:]

Behold these mighty warriors
of the sons of Pandu,
O Revered Teacher,
Arrayed in
battle formation
by the son of Drupada,
your own skillful student.3

3

Bhagavad Gita
The Beloved Lord's Secret Love Song. Copyright © by Graham Schweig. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

---

Excerpted from Bhagavad Gita: The Beloved Lord's Secret Love Song by Graham M. Schweig
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.