The Bhagavad Gita (Penguin Classics)

Bhagavad-Gita or, The Song Celestial (From the Mahabharata).

This is an excellent treatment of millenia-old Hindu religious thought for the modern day thinking man. The main body of the book is Lord Krishna's explanation to his life-long friend and champion archer Arjun of life's purpose. I heartily recommend it to any reader interested in obtaining an overview of one of India's greatest philosophical works!

Juan Mascaro's masterful translation is the most moving and the most fulfilling of them all.

The Gita provides the subtle soul medicine to enable you to aspire to the moral heights invoked by the Sermon on the Mount. You read the wonderful, infinitely compassionate words of Christ, and you think, "Yes - but how can I live like that?" The Gita tells you how.

The Gita is a song, and a philosophy, and a spiritual tract; it is all of these and far more than these: it is the fundamental substance, the absolute bedrock of all true spirituality which is crystalised in our language at the highest pitch by Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Tennyson, and Keats. These poetic geniuses, though indisputably sublime at their heights, were relatively haphazard in their spiritual effects: whereas the steady, quietly relentless focus of the Gita is simply overwhelming. It is the deepest and richest of all mines: and its ore is the most perfect ore.

To read the Gita with a will, and to reflect on it continually, is to change your life forever. When the mind beholds truth, the heart leaps....

I first came across Juan Mascaro's Bhagavad Gita 20 years ago and it has been part of my spiritual staple diet ever since. The introduction alone is rich and I don't know how many times I've read it now, but it is always fresh. Mascaro seems to be influenced by Christianity quite a lot and this is reflected in some of his phrases which resonate with the New Testament. I found that the non-attachment taught by Jesus in Matthew chapter five is wonderfully amplified by Mascaro's Gita.

If you enjoy this, you may enjoy Sweet and Bitter Waters which is a distilation of wisdom from many sources expressed as modern sutras.

Juan has done a fantastic job of translating the Gita into such concise writing. Every verse interpreted (though it biased towards Juan's opinion or philosophies) was succinct and did not require the reader to crack his/her head over the meaning. For me it was certainly an excellent introduction to the marvellous poem. Another version by Ramanand Prasad is more in depth and profound in it's translation. The free version by him could be found at [...] Here's an example of the two contrasting profundity and distinctive styles of translations:
For verse 2:27 Juan's translation was :
Set thy heart upon thy work, but never on its reward. Work not or a reward; but never cease to do thy work.
as for the one by Ramanand Prasad, it came out as :
You have Adhikaara over your respective duty only, but no control or claim over the results. The fruits of work should not be your motive. You should never be inactive. (2.47) (The word Adhikaara means ability and privilege, prerogative, jurisdiction, discretion, right, preference, choice, rightful claim, authority, control.)
A reader wishing to venture into the depths of the Gita should consider reading this version by Juan as an overview of it.

This book contains a very excellent introduction that helps a novice such as myself understand the historical and theological context of this great work. Perhaps an individual more well-acquainted with the subject would find the lengthy introduction unhelpful, but then such a person would probably not be in need of the material in this book at all. If one is just looking for a copy of the conversation between Arjuna and Krishna (that is, the Bhagavad Gita itself), this book contains far more than is necessary.

I found the entire work to be wonderful, and maybe even a learned student in the subject would find some of the comments in the introduction thought-provoking.

Defintely the best I've read, with fantastic senes of rythm and vocabulary.
(If only the store would pull themselves together and look in the paperback version they sell, where the correct Author is stated, so we,after à year of waiting, could buy this as à kindle version!)

This is one of the more lucid translations of the Gits, although it has not been rendered very poetically. However, Mascaro has a real feel for the Hindu theology which makes the boos unusaully rewarding to read. This was my introduction to the Gita and I am grateful to JM for this little book.

Question: Is it "Better to live on beggar's bread with those we love alive, than taste their blood in rich feasts spread, and guiltily survive!"? The answer: No.

A hell of a concept; impossible to rate this iconic book, one can only rate the translation. But this rudimentary translation is best read if you have already ready an annotated version or have good background knowledge of Hindu philosophy.

This is the best English translation of the Gita I've ever found. If there's a mistake of any kind, it's that no explanation is provided for some of the more obscure terms (like Maruts and Rakshasas) and names.

This masterpiece of spiritual enlightenment will, indeed, alter and illuminate the way you see the world from an ancient and riveting perspective. If you are a 'seeker,' a soul who searches for the unity, immanence, and transcendence of the Spirit, the Gita is a compelling read.

This religious work from Hindu culture is translated with clarity and grace. It is poetic but simple. the introduction by the translator is a must read. He not only presents the Bhagavad Gita, but places it in context with other spiritual Hindu and Christian literature. The best part is you do not have to be a scholar or a genius to understand the introduction or the book.

The BHAGAVAD GITA is one of the most important of the scriptures of Hinduism, and one of the highest points of all literature in Sanskrit. It is actually a brief extract from the Mahabharata, India's huge epic, which describes a war between two halves of a family for the throne. The BHAGAVAD GITA tells of how, as the two armies are squared off on the battle field, the divine manifestation Krishna appears to the noble warrior Arjuna, to calm his doubts and show him a path of righteousness.
The work begins with an ironic turn for one expecting a passive and pacifist work. Arjuna does not wish to kill, and would rather withdraw from the slaughter about to ensue. Krishna, however, tells him that it is okay to kill, because the soul is in any event indestructible and his enemies will be reborn. Instead of abstaining from one's work for moral reasons, says Krishna, it would be better to do it and dedicate it, whatever it might be, to the divine. "Action is greater than inaction" is the moral of the first part of the book. From there, the work begins to emphasise Krishna as the way to salvation and recommends love to him.
I found Juan Mascaro's translation disappointing. While his language is generally quite clear and readable, he uses "thou" which I feel only makes the result feel archaic instead of like a living text. A great problem is that, Mascaro actually believes in the next, as is immediately apparently from his rather jumbled and confused introduction (which seems more concerned with the Vedas than the Bhagavad Gita). He speaks for pages about its "truth" which we must all follow, and how its insights are not only compatible with other religions such Christianity, but must be combined with them. I feel this sentiment could have greatly biased his translation; better to get a translation from a neutral, dispassionate scholar of Sanskrit. I would also have liked to know more about how Mascaro was qualified to translate the text, but Penguin's biography unhelpfully neglects to tell us much, except that he studied Sanskrit at some unknown level and lived for a brief time in Sri-Lanka.
The BHAGAVAD GITA is a classic of literature, whatever one might think about its religious truth. And it also helps to shed light on the many new religious movements of the last hundred years which have based their thought on the text. I'd wholeheartedly recommend reading it, though ideally in a translation done by a more neutral party.

The reason I read the Bhagavad Gita is, probably like many other people, because Robert Oppenheimer (the director of the Manhattan project at Los Alamos labs during World War 2) recites lines from it after he witnesses the Trinity explosion -- the first nuclear blast.

I was somewhat unsatisfied with the translation of Laurie Patton. I am unable to judge the academic quality of this translation, nor will I be able to put it into context with respect to many other earlier attempts. However, I somehow never got the sense that I was reading a great epic, a work that had shaped the lives of millions in a sense. Nevertheless, several philosophical themes such as "to let go of clinging to the fruits of action (the consequences of action)", "action vs non-action" come through clearly in the translation. Also, the introduction is written very well. In particularly the opening words "The Gita is about a decision. Above all, it is about a decision to go to war." would be the best way to summarize this epic in such a short form.

The Bhagavad Gita (literally meaning "Song of the Blessed One") is about the warrior Arjuna trying to find a reason for why he should be fighting against his relatives and friends. The god Krishna motivates Arjuna by encouraging/urging/forcing him to act because it is his duty to do so, but that he should not worry about the possible consequences of his action (such as him killing his friends) because he has no control over such consequences -- rather fate does. Action, consequences of action and fate ... these are the three major issues.

Going back to the Oppenheimer story, I would like to suggest the article: "The Gita of J. Robert Oppenheimer" by James A. Hijiya (Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol.144, No. 2, June 2000). Hijiya discusses the influence of the Gita on Oppenheimer's life. In doing so, he makes many references to various aspects of the Bhagavad Gita. Here we learn that the excerpt "I am become Death, shatterer of worlds" originally employed by Oppenheimer -- which does not appear at all in Patton's translation -- is translated by many researchers in the field as "I am time that has aged, who makes the world perish", which is the form that one finds it in Patton (11th Discourse, verse 32). Time, it is argued, implies death through aging. However, the duration of the explosion was not long enough to imply death through aging. Therefore the translation as "death" versus "time" of the original Sanskrit word apparently is a better choice (Oppenheimer new Sanskrit, so he could read the Gita in its original language).

The second citation Oppenheimer makes is: "If the radiance of a thousand suns / were to burst into the sky, / that would be like / the splendour of the Mighty One". Patton translates the same lines as "If a thousand suns had risen in the sky all at once, such brilliance would be the brilliance of that great self" (11th discourse, verse 12). I personally like the former translation better (I suppose it is Oppenheimer's own translation).

Overall, I would say that this is a very interesting epic to read. But perhaps you should consider other translations as well in addition to Patton's.

full of mistranslations of key concepts..

there is just so much of this that it forms an underlying structural
orientation of the translation, starting with the [long] introduction
with bible quotes to justify translation choices..

the last words of krishna are changed to "thy will be done"
lifted straight from mathew, luke and the lords prayer..

a translation by an academic bible scholar, shows its origins..
and ruins the subtleties of this timeless discourse..

carl
namaste

Why do you say the author is Anonymous? Krishna, is speaking to Arjuna and he is the author of Bhagavadgita. Thats even the literal meaning of Bhagavadgita.. Just because you wont agree with an ideology, doesnt give you rights to take out the author's name!

Always be wary of the academic edition in which the introduction rivals the feature. That's the case here, with Juan Mascaro's introduction coming in at 30 pages and the actual Bhagavad-Gita coming in at 83. I'm no Sanskrit scholar, so I've got nowhere near the knowledge and background Mascaro has, but at the same time, it doesn't take 30 pages to convince me this is a classic worth reading.

Once through the introduction, I enjoyed the smooth, easy flow of the actual text. The Arjuna-Krishna dialog on the nature of God, devotion and faith truly are classic. But then again, this was not written--not so much written as cobbled together from centuries of oral tradition and variation--in a period when most folks were illiterate, and it's so plain to see that this is an object lesson to the masses in how to be a good follower. It's clear and direct instruction, disguised as an enlightened discussion between mortal and divine.

But all in all, it was nothing but the millennia-old claptrap of religious dogma, playing on fears of death, the inherent longing for meaning and purpose, showing man's cynical manipulation of others for personal and institutional dominance. It's the same old garbage that the beginning is the end and the end is the beginning; death is life and life is death. God is many, and the many are one. "I am what is and I am what is not." And so much of it is a "sacred mystery," imparted to a chosen, select few. It's the instruction to accept what the Great Wheel has dealt you, be you rich, or much more importantly, poor and dispossessed: just keep your head down, work hard, toil and suffer in pain, hunger and servitude and do not complain because that is questioning what the gods want for you, and your reward for unquestioning service is the sweet, sweet rapture of death; Krishna coos, "...whatever you suffer, suffer it for me." The required "unshakeable faith" is absolute, and the slightest doubt is sacrilege. Have no attachments, to belongings, family, or your own belief and opinions, because all that does is cloud your mind. And fear not, for the slaughter of thousands in war, if directed by the king, is really the will of god and therefore is not only excusable but is laudable and is to be sought, in abundance.

This is easily digestible pablum for the uneducated, beautiful words exchanged between the divine and the divinely-appointed royal. It is lush and deep prose, telling interesting, mystical, fascinating stories that answered the most basic questions of life and death for those living 25 centuries ago.

This is the same garbage extremists are feeding their hollow, foolish and ignorant followers today, so they can serve their god in the cowardly murder of noncombatants, by developing chemical weapons, by eliminating all questions, all competition, anything other than their own one and only possible way.

By the end of this I was just depressed. The writing is indeed beautiful, artful and evocative, flowing beautifully, and I realize that a great part of the credit for this goes to translator Mascaro, his work 50 years old this year. But all my reading of this classic served to do was remind me that 2500 years ago, before Christianity and Islam, all of those concepts of religious stricture and doctrine and unquestioned obedience were already fully developed, and were being delivered to serfs, servants, peasants and slaves.

Bottom line: This is a classic of world literature, and everyone should read it. But, it served to remind me of man's inhumanity to man, and man's innate ability to play deeply on the fears, insecurities and ignorance of others.

in writing this review, i realise that the Ghita is from the Mahabarata and is seen as a great classic of hinduism. however it does not have detailed advice on how to practice the life transforming yoga of hinduism. you would learn far more from a guru than from reading this. though i am sure there is much merit in reading the Ghita, which no doubt transcends concept and logic.

i have not read this book for about six months and so am going from memory. it is a jewel in the sense that it points towards mystical experience... the primary experience aimed for in hinduism would seem to be blissful union.

each element has corresponding experiences. bliss is beautiful and highly stable, as is gold. however at heart bliss is cold, or numb. it has its role, it plays its function.

water is matched with balance and peace... the water of life, the cleansing water of truth. water soothes and levels, like air it is empty. empty of taste, flavour or colour, it is clear, but has a zing to it.

air is matched with freedom and as is water is a state of clarity and empty. mental freedom, awareness and perception.

water is penetrated by gold, air is penetrated by fire. fire is the highest of the immanent spiritual elements representing the emotion of love... warmth and burning.

one should not focus too much on the emptiness of air and water to the exclusion of the passions of love and beauty of gold.

each of the elements has a gender... the penetrated and the penetrators, and yet each element depends on the others for its presence. the obviously penetrating sometimes penetrated by that which is penetrated.

though the receivers are penetrated on an obvious level, on a subtle level the receivers penetrate the penetrators.

every element is interconnected and interdependent and yet discrete, unique in its own way. in some states an obviously male element may become
or be female. take earth for example. earth is penetrated... a womb for the seed, though plain and 'common', earth is most important and the female side of the gold/earth element. fire produces light, which penetrates darkness. the seed again into the womb. darkness is humble and receding. light penetrating and joyful.

it is not certain what the fith element is... some say it is the common 'i', others that it is pure awareness, but i tend to see air as being awareness, clear like the sky... the i however is an elusive subject.

in a sense the i, is like a cloud that penetrates the clarity of skys awareness. it can come and go, can be created and destroyed. though i have heard it said that the 'i' is indestructible, i know this not to be true.

anyway, enough musing... bliss is not everything.

as an aside, i think that 'consciousness' is a big word in hinduism, and so it should be. i have been looking at consicousness today, it should not be confused with perception, which requires judgement and thought. so consciousness...

in simplest terms is understood as 'this', i present here four formulations for the reader to consider, formulations of consciousness:
1. time + function + being.
2. life + truth + goodness.
3. truth + speed + understanding. (understanding/perception).
my favourite and simplest expression of consciousness is found in 4.
4. this + truth + life.

the only item that is not totally necessary for consciousness is time, but in temporal reality time is an important factor. we as humans however will one day go beyond the time dimension as it is. i think it is clear that unlike perception, consciousness is wholly a good thing, pure; whilst perception may be tainted by unhealthy judgement or emotion. pure perception however represents 'truth'. consciousness is at the very root of our life/being. consciousness is in part direct truth and cannot exist without life/being. (my favourite definition of truth is 'this + that + love', my favourite definition of life is 'movement + function + attraction'). though i say that life is 'movement + function + attraction' this is on an obvious level, infact everything even the letters on this page are alive, even death is a form of life. you will notice however that the letters on this page are attracted towards each other, serve a function and encourage movement of the mind. therefore the letters are in symbiotic relationship with the mind of the reader!

i was just talking about consciousness (being) with a doctor last week and we both felt that is is amazingly mundane, taken for granted. the plainest thing and yet most remarkable. yet without truth perception we cannot say "'this' is it" (the life changing medium).

in retrospect, the one element that is totally transcendent and beyond the mundane is the fith element 'void', this is dark and though fundamentally empty contains all other elements. the void is the womb from which all things emerge and is impregnated by the fire of love.

anyway, have a nice day.

love, snow-flake. xxx

Ah, the Bhagavad Gita - the words of Krishna spoken about 3200BC and written down by Srila Vyasadeva. Bhagavad Gita is a manual in bhakti yoga, with some explanations of other paths. A primary motivation for mentioning a variety of yogic paths is that Krishna wanted the Gita to be accessed by a wide of variety of people with different motivations. To understand the message of the Bhagavad Gita one has develop his (or her) bhakti, or pure devotional love. And one needs to learn from a spiritual master who is coming in a 'sampradaya' connected with the Vaishnava tradition. In this way you get the wisdom of thousands of years of great souls who understand the message of the Gita. If someone comes along and learns a language (Sanskrit, in this case) - a noble achievement though it is - do you think he can understand what the Gita is all about?

I lived as a Krishna monk for 8 years studying Bhagavad Gita As It Is, and this version by Swami Prabhupada is the version by someone written by someone who actually has a relationship (of love) with Krishna. Other people probably think that Krishna was a semi-mythological hindu prince who happened to be alright at Sanskrit poetry!