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The Bhagavad Gita is the principle source of religious inspiration for
many millions of Indians. This two-volume edition contains transliteration of
the original Sanskrit and its close translation. Edgerton's interpretation
analyzes its influence on later literature and its place in Indian philosophy.
The Bhagavad Gita, "The Song of the Lord," is the chief
devotional text of most Indians. This text is part of a larger epic of
Mahabharata, an ancient story that took literary form between the fifth BCE and
third century CE. The Gita refers to dharma, which is the right ordering that
supports the cosmos. Dharma is equivalent to natural law and conscience. In the
Gita, a Pandava brother Arjuna loses his will to fight and has a discussion with
his charioteer Krishna, about duty, action, and renunciation. The Gita has three
major themes: knowledge, action, and love.
To most Visnuites, and to most Hindus, the Bhagavad Gita is what the New
Testament is to Christians. It is their chief devotional book, and has been for
centuries the principal source of religious inspiration for many millions of
Indians. In this two-volume edition (bound in one), Volume I contains on facing
pages a transliteration of the original Sanskrit and the author's close
translation. Volume II is Edgerton's interpretation in which he makes clear the
historical setting of the poem and analyzes its influence on later literature
and its place in Indian philosophy.
2 Vols. in one (Vol. I:Text and Translation; Vol. II: Interpretation and
Arnold's Translation).
About the Author:
Franklin Edgerton was Salisbury Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philosophy in Yale University. He has many books and articles to his credit in the fields of Indian literature, philosophy and religion Sanskrit and general comparative philology.
Review:
"It is a real pleasure to read 'India's favorite Bible' in this beautiful and
very convenient edition...Edgerton analyzes the doctrines of the Gita with
clearness and acuteness, and his expos´e is full of well-chosen quotations and
suggestive remarks." P.E. Dumont, Journal of the American Oriental Society
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