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The Bhagavad-Gita has the original Sanskrit Text with Roman
Transliteration, and a lucid English Rendition. Concise and to the point
commentaries of two hundred twenty seven selected key verses are provided. One
hundred thirtythree verses are printed in red to enable the first-time readers
to study these verses before delving deep into the vast ocean of transcendental
knowledge. The teachings of saints and sages of major religious denominations as
well as world leaders and scholars have been included. Quotations from the
Vedas, Puranas, Upanisads, Smrtis, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhakti-sutras,
Brahma-sutra, Yoga-sutra, as well as other major scriptures of the world such as
the Bible, Dhammapad and Koran have been incorporated to underline the basic
unity of all religious thoughts and to promote the universal brotherhood of
mankind. Epilogue, references, Sanskrit transliteration and pro-nunciation
guide, glossary and index are provided. A guide to meditation, beautiful
pictures and Gita Calisa are included for daily sadhana.
The title means Song of God. This ancient Indian epic (a long poem that tells a story about a hero) is one of the greatest works of literature in world history. As thousands of troops move into position for battle, a reluctant warrior puts down his weapons and tells Krishna (God) that killing is wrong. On the contrary, Krishna tells him, death is illusory, and his duty is to fight. While the massed troops wait to begin killing each other, Krishna teaches yoga to the warrior so he can face battle with equanimity. The Song of God, then, is not only a sublime poem, it's also a yoga textbook. In fact, it's the book that Mahatma Gandhi followed to reach enlightenment. Very few texts -- in western literature, only parts of the Bible come immediately to mind -- have the eerie, spine-chilling profundity of the Gita. There are many websites devoted to it. The most valuable one for readers is the Gita Supersite at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur which lets you look at numerous translations and commentaries simultaneously.
About the Author:
Dr. Ramananda Prasad is currently a supervisor at the Western Division of the U.S. Navy. He has published several papers in the Journals of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Prasad founded the American Gita Society, as a branch of the Ramayana Sabha, whose aim is to serve the humanity through the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita and other scriptures, and to establish harmony between all cultures, races, religions and faiths of the world through the immortal teachings of all great masters, and major scriptures.
Reviews:
"....I personally find many translations tedious
because of complex structure.This translation is simply beautiful because it is beautifully simple." - Rev. Phil Buzard, New York:
"......Prasad's deft renderings are elegantly simple,
easy to understand, and unencumbered by commentary. An ambitious work..." -
Hinduism Today, USA
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