The Song of God Bhagavad Gita
List Price:
Our Price: $7.99
You Save: $2.96 (27%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $1.84 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Translator: Swami PrabhavanandaTranslator: Christopher Isherwood
Introduction: Aldous Huxley
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); Sanskrit (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1978-07-01
ISBN: 0874810434
Number of pages: 179
Publisher: Vedanta Press & Bookshop
Book Reviews of The Song of God Bhagavad Gita
Book Review: The Original Truth
Summary: 5 Stars
If we lived in a sane society, a dog-eared copy of the Bhagavad Gita would be on every nightstand in every home of the western world.
So many publications of the Bhagavad Gita suffer from the same malady as most publications of the Corpus Hermeticum -- the inherent Knowledge, Existence, and Bliss ends up being buried beneath a ton of commentary. This particular collaboration by Prabhavananda and Isherwood wisely avoids commentary except in the Preface, Introduction, and ending Appendices.
I grew up in the Baptist church, the first born son of a Southern Baptist preacher. I can honestly say that the Gita has become as cherished to me as the bible. I now understand why so many Hindus express as much love for the Gita as they do the Sermon on the Mount. Once stripped of the layers of corruptions grandfathered in by men ruled by rajas, both holy books contain the wonderful, blissful, effulgent, Original Truth.
The beginning of the Gita, just as with the beginning [Old Testament] of the bible, suffers from Ishwara having breathed it thru the corrupting filters of men living in an age when war was considered noble [not that much has changed even in the 21st century]. Too many souls have rejected the Gita because of being repulsed after reading the first two chapters where Lord Krishna --- Brahman incarnated in the form of a man --- implores Arjuna to "shake off this cowardice, Arjuna", insisting that "if you refuse to fight this righteous war, you will be turning aside from your duty. You will be a sinner, and disgraced".
Similar words can be found in Numbers 31:14-18. And, among Hindus, as among Christians, too many adherents, dominated by rajas, take such words literally. Note that India is one of only eight nations in our world that stockpile nuclear weapons. Wisely, in Appendix II, Prabhavananda and Isherwood include a short treatise entitled "The Gita and War" in which Ghandi's accurate assessment of the Gita is provided:
"...he called it an allegory in which the battlefield is the soul and Arjuna, man's higher immpulses, struggling against evil."
I highly recommend that those reading the Gita for the first time begin with Appendix II, then read Chapters I and II while Appendix II is still fresh in their mind. After Chapter II, everything will begin to fall into place.
And, for Heaven's sake, by all means, ignore any Hindu swami, Muslim iman, or Christian preacher who tries to convince you that there is any such thing as a literal religious war of which you have a duty to Brahman/Allah/Jehovah to fight. What is your duty? Lord Arjuna explains it perfectly in the last chapter of the Gita:
"When he casts from him
Vanity, violence,
Pride, lust, anger
And all his possessions,
Totally free
From the sense of ego
And tranquil of heart:
That man is ready
For oneness with Brahman.
And he who dwells
United with Brahman,
Calm in mind,
Not grieving, not craving,
Regarding all men
With equal acceptance:
He loves me most dearly.
Summary of The Song of God Bhagavad Gita
Uses the beauty of verse to express the highest truths of Vedanta. Includes an introduction to the Gita, and a study of non-violence versus the need to fight a just war.The critics have singled out this translation:"The book is self-contained. A complete stranger to the Hindu Gospel can pick it up and in one or two evenings follow the poem from its terrific beginnings to its sublime end." -- New York Times
Reference Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Reference Books
The Professor and the Madmanby Simon Winchester
Harper; Published: 1998-08-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Fluid Mechanicsby Irfan A. Khan
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1995-06-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $137.00
Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasionby George Thompson
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2004-03-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.66
Price in other shops:
Collins Gem Latin Dictionary: Latin English English Latin (Gem Dictionaries)Harpercollins; Published: 1990-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $258.18
Collins Gem Latin Dictionary: Second Edition (Collins Language)by HarperCollins Publishers
Collins Reference; Published: 1996-10-11; Turtleback; Book
Best price: $4.07
Price in other shops:
Principles of Modern Chemistry (Study Guide and Student Solutions Manual)by Freeman
Harcourt School; Published: 1991-01; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Senseby John Ralston Saul
Free Press; Published: 1994-10-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.96
Price in other shops:
Gmat Cat: Answers to the Real Essay Questionsby Mark Alan Stewart, Frederick J. O'Toole, Linda Bomstad
Macmillan General Reference; Published: 1998-03-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $56.54
Arco Words for Smart Test-Takers (Arco Academic Test Preparation)by Mark Alan Stewart
Arco Pub; Published: 1998-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.95
Seven Years In Tibet (Flamingo Modern Classic)by Heinrich Harrer
Flamingo; Published: 1997-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.20
Similar Books and other products
The Bhagavad Gita (Penguin Classics)by Anonymous
Penguin Classics; Published: 2003-02-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.93
Price in other shops:
Srimad Bhagavatam: The Wisdom of Godby translated by Swami Prabhavananda
Vedanta Press & Bookshop; Published: 1956-01-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.95
Sermon on the Mount According to Vedantaby Swami Prabhavananda
Vedanta Press & Bookshop; Published: 1964-07-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.84
Price in other shops:
The Upanishads (Classic of Indian Spirituality)Nilgiri Press; Published: 2007-08-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.14
Price in other shops:
The Perennial Philosophy: An Interpretation of the Great Mystics, East and West (P.S.)by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2009-07-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.23
Price in other shops:
Buddhist Scriptures (Penguin Classics)by Anonymous
Penguin Classics; Published: 1959-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.44
Price in other shops:
How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjaliby Swami Prabhavananda, Christopher Isherwood, Patanjali
Vedanta Press & Bookshop; Published: 2007-12-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops:
Shankara's Crest Jewel of Discriminationby Swami Prabhavananda, Christopher Isherwood
Vedanta Pr; Published: 1970-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
The Upanishads: Breath of the EternalSignet Classics; Published: 2002-08-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.15
Price in other shops:
Bhagavad-Gita: The Song of GodSignet Classics; Published: 2002-07-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.15
Price in other shops: