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The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi

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The Bhagavad Gita ("The Lord's Song") is a profound religious text and an essential part of the Hindu religion. For a westerner, however, it is almost impossible to understand without previous knowledge of Hindu philosophy or copious annotation.

This book, consisting of Gandhi's translation of the Gita, as well as commentary he presented to his followers at prayer meetings in 1926, is an important and highly-regarded version of the ancient text. Gandhi's commentary, actually comprising about two-thirds of the work, was lucid, profound, and clearly indicative of the deep wisdom of one of the twentieth-century's greatest men. It greatly enhanced my understanding of the Gita.

This is a great translation of a great relious work, with explanations by a great man. Not surprisingly, this adds up to a great book. Highly recommended.

One of the most frustrating things in finding a good translation of the Bhagavad Gita is also finding one not bogged down in an endless commentary. Editions with only the text of the Gita are very rare, and this book is no exception. Amazingly enough, however, this edition contains a commentary that's just as interesting and involving as the text itself--so much so that you don't even care that the commentary comprises the majority of the book!

One element that would always be helpful would be to include some (if not all) of the original text, but even still this a good translation, and relatively unbaised if you're aware of what the text originally says. Sadly, this version is not as popular as the Bhagavad Gita As It Is (published by Hare Krishna), although in my opinion it is certainly more spiritual and more reliable.

Ghandi's translation of the Bhagavad-Gita is fantastic. Unlike other translations, where you find yourself constantly flipping to a notes section, Ghandi inserts his commentary throughout the passages of this ancient poem. His comments are always direct and to the point, not so much offering an opinion on the meaning of the text, but fleshing out the message, often relating it to his own experiences. As for the Bhagavad-Gita itself, it's a wonderful insight into life, love, death and God. It is not a manual of dos and don'ts; rather it is a guide to the challenges we all face in our lives. Anyone can benefit from Krishna's words of wisdom, regardless of their religion, beliefs or background. Highly recommended.

Albert Einstein said: "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice." He also said: "When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous."

If this short scripture grabs you, not only you will agree with Einstein, it may also answer many of your lifelong questions about god, life, death, conscience, etc. It will also become a part of your daily life going forward. And if it does not, you will still find it to be a true masterpiece.

For those who may not be aware, a translation of the Bhagavad Gita is freely available on The International Gita Society's website. The translation in this book, however, is far superior and endorsed by a universally trusted source, Gandhi. I found this translation to be more pleasant to read and believe it conveys the message more effectively.

About Gandhi's commentary, although he has done an unparalleled job, the verses of the Gita are so profound and complex that, in my mind, any commentary would fall short of the actual message. That said, Gandhi's work in this book can easily be ranked as one of the best spiritual writings.

Lastly, I believe the impact of the Gita can be substantially optimized by having a bit of prior knowledge about Gandhi's life and his ideals.

READ, ENJOY & MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL.

The text of the Bhagavad Gita and Gandhi's commentary are not as distinct from each other as I would have liked. The exact same text of both Gita and commentary can be found in "Anasaktiyoga: The Gospel of Selfless Action- the Gita according to Gandhi", edited by Jim Rankin. In Rankin's edition the text of the Gita is very distinct from Gandhi's commentary, and Rankin even labels who is speaking in the Gita so it is easy for someone (like myself)not familiar with the Gita to follow the flow of the discourse. Unfortunately Rankin does not include even half of the commentary included in "The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi" (edited by John Strohmeier) so if you are seeking Gandhi's thoughts on the Gita this is the better edition to purchase.

This is the first of Hindu scripture I have read, and it is spiritually rewarding and enlightening. This book will definitely have a potent effect on the rest of my life, which few things ever do. I see this in a very important light and believe every one should meditate on its message to improve all of our lives. This read could not be any more pleasing, you will not be disappointed.

I think Gandhi's translation and commentary of the Gita is really good. His explanations are clear and insightful and he speaks from experience. There is also an essay he wrote to accompany the Gita as an introduction. It explains his path to the Gita, gives an overview of the Gita, and explains how he came to render a translation of it (Gita) with the help of others.

The commentary is not excessive, but there is plenty there for those looking for commentary. He gives a somewhat metaphorical interpretation of the Gita. I like this book as it is easy to read and the commentary is based on experience. For example, in verse 40 of chapter 11 he states how a lady worshipped the lord with her back to the idol and then a learned man rebuked her. She was said to have cited this verse in her defense showing that one need not worship God in one direction. Such is the practicality of Gandhi's work.

This is a great exposition of the Gita. A very good translation of each verse from Sanskrit. He also explains each verse as he understands it - sometimes giving personal examples. One can see how he tried to live his life according to the principles of Gita.

I've read many different translations of the Bhagavad-Gita (and am always looking for more). As a translation of the Gita, this one is...fairly good. It has a slightly "fancy," mildly archaic form of English that uses a lot of "thee" and "thou," and sometimes uses some syntactical flourishes that make it very pretty, but sometimes difficult to understand--something like the New King James Bible, if you want a comparison. And, occasionally, there's a Sanskrit term in the text that didn't make it into the glossary, so that's something to keep in mind.

But what i really like about this book is Gandhiji's commentary, which runs through the whole book, interspersed between lines of the text. It provides wonderful insight into how he understood and practiced the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita--and how that informed Satyagraha, and his overall commitment to non-violence. The only other Gita commentary i've read thus far is that contained in "Bhagavad Gita As It Is," by Swami Prabhupada, so that's the only commentary i can compare this one to: This commentary is much less substantial, but also has a bit less of... an "agenda" is not the word i want, but i can't come up with a better one. Gandhiji's commentary is not written from the perspective of a devout Krishna bhakta, so this book is not meant to teach one how to attain "Krishna Consciousness," as Swami Prabhupada and those devotees in his tradition might want. What this commentary does do is give some insight into how people from any and all walks of life can use the Gita as a guide to living a life of devotional service--no matter what deity (if any!) you worship. I'm glad i purchased this book; it has added substantially to my understanding of the Bhagavad Gita and the path of bhakti yoga, and i would recommend it highly--maybe not as your only copy of the Gita, but certainly a translation worth reading.

Namaste

This is a most amazing book. That being said I purchased this as my first Gita purchase and couldn't finish it. All the commentary is geared towards satyagraha and not much towards building an understanding for westerners. This book is a record of a reading which Gandhi gave at his ashram in India so uninformed westerners were obviously not his audience. I then purchased The Bhagavad Gita translated by Sri Swami Sivananda, this is the most authentic translation with illuminating commentary and the one I would recommend to start with.
Returning to Gandhi's gita with this background understanding I can now read with the background knowledge to read the scripture written buy one of the greatest contemporary mahatmas. The follower of Satyagraha in this iron age are blessed, so please buy this new reprint which is only a fraction of the price the used vendors were charging last year.
Also there are several other books, readily available on amazon although some are out of print, that I would recommend if you are specifically interested in Gandhi's writing.
-Non-Violent Resistance (Satyagraha)
-Vows and Observances
-Prayer
-Book of Prayers

And again not Ghandi but Swami Sivananda's gita as a starting point
-The Bhagavad Gita

Om shanti shanti shanti