Clarification regarding Bhagavad Gita

[Aakash Roshan]

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Namaskaram.
I have started to read Bhagavad Gita by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I would like to know whether my selection is good to begin with as I came across some information that there are many translations/commentary and versions available.

Can someone please guide me.

Thanks
Aakash Roshan

 

[renuka]

Namaskaram.
I have started to read Bhagavad Gita by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I would like to know whether my selection is good to begin with as I came across some information that there are many translations/commentary and versions available.

Can someone please guide me.

Thanks
Aakash Roshan

Namaskaram Aakash Ji,

From my personal experience, the Gita commentary by Swami Mukundananda is excellent and totally neutral and the focus is only on Divinity.

No offence meant but ISCKON's Gita commentary has high doses of words like Demi - God, Mayavadin( Advaitins) etc and isnt very conducive for those who would like transcend duality.


Take a look at this site and you wont regret reading it.

Contents – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda

Read the Bhagavad Gita online with profound and easy-to-understand commentary by Swami Mukundananda. Unravel the philosophy of life and the spiritual essence of the Bhagavad Gita in the most practical and systematic way.

www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org

 

[Aakash Roshan]

Namaskaram Aakash Ji,

From my personal experience, the Gita commentary by Swami Mukundananda is excellent and totally neutral and the focus is only on Divinity.

No offence meant but ISCKON's Gita commentary has high doses of words like Demi - God, Mayavadin( Advaitins) etc and isnt very conducive for those who would like transcend duality.


Take a look at this site and you wont regret reading it.

Contents – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda

Read the Bhagavad Gita online with profound and easy-to-understand commentary by Swami Mukundananda. Unravel the philosophy of life and the spiritual essence of the Bhagavad Gita in the most practical and systematic way.

www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org

Thanks for the suggestion Renuka Ji.

 

[prasad1]

I was an active member of Swami Chinmayananda Mission. I love his commentary.

Downloads

chinmayamissionwest.com

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://ia903003.us.archive.org/4/items/holygeetabyswamichinmayana/Holy%20Geeta%20by%20Swami%20Chinmayana.pdf

 

[sravna]

Gita is a high but pragmatic philosophy. It is like an invaluable hidden treasure. If only we can see it and use it. Congrats Aashan for seeing it. Other members have given excellent references. I am sure you will be using it too. All the best!

 

[a-TB]

Namaskaram.
I have started to read Bhagavad Gita by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I would like to know whether my selection is good to begin with as I came across some information that there are many translations/commentary and versions available.

Can someone please guide me.

Thanks
Aakash Roshan

For starters you can begin with anything. Beyond that it depends on your motivation to undertake a study. Prabhupadananda book like many others pushes theology that has no basis into the interpretation.

Many others like Chinmaya mission books do not do so but many are not based commentary of Adi Sankara. The reason those commentaries are important is because a clear vision is maintained across all topics. Often a chapter’s verses will appear disjointed. The acharyas of even high fame in Advita interpretation make things up as fillers sometimes providing misleading understanding. Not many books exist that follow Adi Sankara in a strict manner in my limited exposure. I have found contradictions in the presentations

For example how to understand the verses of chapter 11 wherein Krishna assumes a universal form for Arjuna. Did it happen or is that symbolic ?

Chapter 12 is about Bhakti but does not offer a single God to worship or modes but describes only qualities of a Bhakta.

The set of books ( 12 or 13 volumes) available at Amazon in many languages including Tamil is by Swami Dayananda. It is based on Adi Sankara commentaries.

In the end it will leave you with more questions than answers and that is progress!

 

[prasad1]

The Bhagavad Gita is a profound spiritual and philosophical text, and understanding it deeply requires both study and reflection. Here are some of the best approaches to understanding it:

If you know Sanskrit please read the original works of Adi Shankara.
If not:

Read Translations with Commentary
The Gita is in Sanskrit, so reading a good translation is crucial. Several scholars and spiritual leaders have provided translations with commentaries that explain the meaning of the verses in context.
Swami Vivekananda’s commentary focuses on the practical aspects of the Gita.
Swami Sivananda’s translation offers a detailed spiritual commentary.
Eknath Easwaran’s version emphasizes simplicity and clarity for modern readers.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s “Bhagavad-gītā As It Is” explains the text from the viewpoint of Bhakti Yoga.

Study the Context of Each Chapter
The Gita covers different paths to spiritual enlightenment, including Karma Yoga (path of action), Bhakti Yoga (path of devotion), and Jnana Yoga (path of knowledge). Understanding each chapter’s focus helps to grasp the Gita's diverse teachings.

Reflect on Key Themes
Some key themes to focus on include:

Dharma: Duty and righteousness.
Yoga: The discipline of self-control and meditation.
Atman and Brahman: The nature of the self and the ultimate reality.
Detachment: Acting without attachment to the fruits of action.

Engage in Personal Reflection
The Gita is meant to be applied in everyday life. Reflect on how its teachings resonate with your experiences and challenges. Meditate on key verses to absorb their deeper meaning.

Learn from a Teacher or Study Group (if you need, contact Chinmaya Mission in your town)
Learning with a knowledgeable teacher or a spiritual guide can provide insight into difficult concepts. Joining a Gita study group can also help in discussing and understanding various interpretations.

Apply the Teachings in Daily Life
The Gita emphasizes applying wisdom through action. Practicing detachment, devotion, or selfless service in your daily activities will deepen your understanding over time.

Listen to Lectures and Discourses
Many spiritual leaders and scholars give discourses on the Gita. Listening to these talks (such as those by Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, and others) can provide clarity and different perspectives.

Consistent Reading and Re-reading
The Gita is a text that grows with you. As your understanding deepens, returning to the text periodically will reveal new layers of meaning.
By combining intellectual study with personal practice and reflection, the Bhagavad Gita can be understood as a guide to both spiritual and practical wisdom.

 

[renuka]

Dear Akash,
I would like to add that with any religious text, initially we feel that we are reading it but as time goes on the religious text " reads" us and conveys to us a particular meaning of a shloka that would be just what we needed to hear for the day to give us the answer for something we are facing and the answer might not even be in the commentary given..it would be our own personal information that the Gita conveyed to us and it is ever evolving and the same shloka could morph for a different situation in years to convey a different meaning but no matter how it morphs it will never contradict itself.

This is one reason why commentary differs from Guru to Guru or Acharya to Acharya but the basis is always similar.

And though the Gita is arranged in specific chapters, do not feel that its strictly only that way.

Sometimes an answer for a particular shloka will need the aid of a different shloka found in a totally unrelated chapter.
Any sort of combination is possible.
But this type of combinations are user specific and it reveals itself to you in ways that might differ from another person...reason?
Our needs differ, the situation we face differ. Hence we get different inputs from the Gita.

As you read the Gita you will realize it " speaks" to you or I wont be wrong to say it " sings" to you in a tune meant for your ears only.

 

[tbs]

Namaskaram.
I have started to read Bhagavad Gita by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I would like to know whether my selection is good to begin with as I came across some information that there are many translations/commentary and versions available.

Can someone please guide me.

Thanks
Aakash Roshan

hi
i read Bhagavad Gita by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada many times....i think it is little bias.....its

excellent commentary in english....i have more than 10 copies of this book in many sizes.....very excellent

work.....but i read shri sankara charya commentary of srimad bhagavad gita....its purely in sanskrit

language.....i prefer sankaracharya commentary is the best in my opinion....may be differ with others..

just my opninion....

 

[JyothiPrakash]

For starters you can begin with anything. Beyond that it depends on your motivation to undertake a study. Prabhupadananda book like many others pushes theology that has no basis into the interpretation.

Many others like Chinmaya mission books do not do so but many are not based commentary of Adi Sankara. The reason those commentaries are important is because a clear vision is maintained across all topics. Often a chapter’s verses will appear disjointed. The acharyas of even high fame in Advita interpretation make things up as fillers sometimes providing misleading understanding. Not many books exist that follow Adi Sankara in a strict manner in my limited exposure. I have found contradictions in the presentations

For example how to understand the verses of chapter 11 wherein Krishna assumes a universal form for Arjuna. Did it happen or is that symbolic ?

Chapter 12 is about Bhakti but does not offer a single God to worship or modes but describes only qualities of a Bhakta.

The set of books ( 12 or 13 volumes) available at Amazon in many languages including Tamil is by Swami Dayananda. It is based on Adi Sankara commentaries.

In the end it will leave you with more questions than answers and that is progress!

Yes, interpreting with the help of a dictionary after संधिविच्छेद suits me.

 

[JyothiPrakash]

Dear Akash,
I would like to add that with any religious text, initially we feel that we are reading it but as time goes on the religious text " reads" us and conveys to us a particular meaning of a shloka that would be just what we needed to hear for the day to give us the answer for something we are facing and the answer might not even be in the commentary given..it would be our own personal information that the Gita conveyed to us and it is ever evolving and the same shloka could morph for a different situation in years to convey a different meaning but no matter how it morphs it will never contradict itself.

This is one reason why commentary differs from Guru to Guru or Acharya to Acharya but the basis is always similar.

And though the Gita is arranged in specific chapters, do not feel that its strictly only that way.

Sometimes an answer for a particular shloka will need the aid of a different shloka found in a totally unrelated chapter.
Any sort of combination is possible.
But this type of combinations are user specific and it reveals itself to you in ways that might differ from another person...reason?
Our needs differ, the situation we face differ. Hence we get different inputs from the Gita.

As you read the Gita you will realize it " speaks" to you or I wont be wrong to say it " sings" to you in a tune meant for your ears only.

Great

 

[thebigthinkg]

Prabhupada's word by word translations are apt and genuine. Compared to many 'interpretations' of Gita where the 'interpreter' puts up a wrong word translation to match their interpretation or simply skips over the translation in favor of their interpretation, PrabhupAda's translations are perfect and transparent in my understanding.

There are genuine errors in the translation which I suspect are cut-copy-paste errors by the sishyas. This is one issue. Another issue is, while prabhupAda translates very aptly, he fits his translation to the gaudiya-vaishnava sampradAya and more particularly into ISKCON's vision of Krishna as the Supreme consciousness. But he never hides it. He gives the apt translation and on top of it gives his interpretation.

If he had lived now, he would have called me a 'rascal' for my understanding. But I consider him as one of my gurus.

 

[Aakash Roshan]

Dear Akash,
I would like to add that with any religious text, initially we feel that we are reading it but as time goes on the religious text " reads" us and conveys to us a particular meaning of a shloka that would be just what we needed to hear for the day to give us the answer for something we are facing and the answer might not even be in the commentary given..it would be our own personal information that the Gita conveyed to us and it is ever evolving and the same shloka could morph for a different situation in years to convey a different meaning but no matter how it morphs it will never contradict itself.

This is one reason why commentary differs from Guru to Guru or Acharya to Acharya but the basis is always similar.

And though the Gita is arranged in specific chapters, do not feel that its strictly only that way.

Sometimes an answer for a particular shloka will need the aid of a different shloka found in a totally unrelated chapter.
Any sort of combination is possible.
But this type of combinations are user specific and it reveals itself to you in ways that might differ from another person...reason?
Our needs differ, the situation we face differ. Hence we get different inputs from the Gita.

As you read the Gita you will realize it " speaks" to you or I wont be wrong to say it " sings" to you in a tune meant for your ears onlHell

Dear Akash,
I would like to add that with any religious text, initially we feel that we are reading it but as time goes on the religious text " reads" us and conveys to us a particular meaning of a shloka that would be just what we needed to hear for the day to give us the answer for something we are facing and the answer might not even be in the commentary given..it would be our own personal information that the Gita conveyed to us and it is ever evolving and the same shloka could morph for a different situation in years to convey a different meaning but no matter how it morphs it will never contradict itself.

This is one reason why commentary differs from Guru to Guru or Acharya to Acharya but the basis is always similar.

And though the Gita is arranged in specific chapters, do not feel that its strictly only that way.

Sometimes an answer for a particular shloka will need the aid of a different shloka found in a totally unrelated chapter.
Any sort of combination is possible.
But this type of combinations are user specific and it reveals itself to you in ways that might differ from another person...reason?
Our needs differ, the situation we face differ. Hence we get different inputs from the Gita.

As you read the Gita you will realize it " speaks" to you or I wont be wrong to say it " sings" to you in a tune meant for your ears only.

hello Renuka. I strongly agree with what you said esp. the last line
Would be happy to discuss and would like to hear how it influenced you.
I have completed chapters 1 and 2.

 

[renuka]

hello Renuka. I strongly agree with what you said esp. the last line
Would be happy to discuss and would like to hear how it influenced you.
I have completed chapters 1 and 2.

Thank you Akash, Thats really nice to hear that you have finished chapter 1 and 2.

The 1st time I read the Gita was at the age of 20.
That time I didnt really understand much.

Then I read it again at age 40..by that time I had already studied Sanskrit..so as part of my lessons, my interest in the Gita grew and clarity was more because I understood the shlokas better but I felt I was focussing more on grammar than the message of the Gita.

Then I decided to not " think" or "analyse" but just wait for the message the Gita reveals to us...thats when I actually understood the Gita better.

For me the shloka which influenced me the most is

18:66
sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ

Abandon all varieties of dharmas and simply surrender unto Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.

The message I felt from the shloka is " Reset to factory setting".
It's the purpose of our whole existence.