Bhagavad Gita [Paperback]

Antonio de Nicolas (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004

The Bhagavad Gita forms a small part—seven hundred stanzas—of the Mahabharata epic, two hundred thousand lines that are but a part of the Bhisma-Parvam. Contained in the Gita's pages are the secrets of life. The story takes an historical event, a war, and uses this as a setting to illustrate basic human conflicts—understanding action and non-action, how to take part in society, how to understand your place in the universal scheme, as well as explaining the secrets of meditation. There are even complete instructions for understanding the dying process. It is a book to be read again and again, at various stages of life's path, for once you truly comprehend the material presented, you are well on your way to understanding the meaning of life! This edition contains a new Preface by the author that discusses the importance of the Gita for keeping our heart, mind, and soul open for continual nourishment and growth.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Antonio T. De Nicolas has lived in Spain and in India. He is currently a philosophy emeritus at both Stonybrook and the Biocultureal Research Institute in St. Augustine, Florida. He has written several books, including Powers of Imagining, Avatara, Meditations through the Rig Veda, and Remembering the God to Come, a book of poems. He also translated Juan R. Jimenez's Platero and I. He combines philosophy and poetry so we can hear the music and sound of the culture that spawned the Gita.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Nicolas-Hays (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892540907
• ISBN-13: 978-0892540907
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,359,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great translation of a great book!, June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bhagavad Gita (Paperback)

I had the honor of being Mr. de Nicolas' student in St. Augustine, FL. His translation of the Gita is perhaps the clearest, most human translation I have read. The focus is on the _doing_, the epistemology of action, instead of the words that so often get in the way. If you are looking for a meaningful, comprehensible, translation done by someone who is intimate with the philosophy and the language, look no further.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good translation, lacking background material for us mortals, July 8, 2004

By 

Thomas Hochmann (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bhagavad Gita (Paperback)

The Bhagavad-Gita is an intriguing and very wise book, even for those such as myself who do not really subscribe to an Indian philosophy or religion (indeed, I'm fascinated by some of the parallels between the Chinese concept of Tao and the Hindu concept of Brahman). This translation has a smooth feel to it, and while I am not able to comment on how precise this translation is, it flowed nicely and was enjoyable to read.

I do have one gripe, however: this book gets categorized as "Religion" (and indeed, that is what it says on the back cover), while this particular edition has a distinctly philosophical aim to it. The rendition of the Gita itself does not have this slant, but the other parts of the book do. The translator, Antonio de Nicolas, is a philosophy professor, and his foreward and introduction are rather heavy on academic philosophical mumbo-jumbo. I didn't realize when I bought this book that the subtitle, "The Ethics of Decision-Making", meant "ethics" in the academic sense.

So while the Bhagavad-Gita itself is nicely presented here, the book spends a lot of space on philosophy rather than providing good background on the Gita's history and perhaps clarifying some of its more vague spots. This is why I only give the book 4 stars - the translation is topnotch, but the lack of background material can make for some puzzling moments that require the reader to go look something up online or in an encyclopedia. Other than that, I found this to be a handy addition to my library and a useful tool for exploring this amazing Eastern text.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Answer to Thomas Hochman, July 10, 2004

By 

Dr. Antonio de Nicolas (St. Augustine, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bhagavad Gita (Paperback)

I am the author/transaltor of this book. Thomas (my middle initial too) is right. This translation takes for granted that everyone has read my other book Avatara where all the background information required to understand the Gita is present and has been in print for over thirty years. In fact, it was the first philosophical text to appear in a Philosophy Department in America,at a time when the Classics of India were almost unknown in this Country or taught in Religion Departments. The Gita, in this present form or in the original Sanskrit one, has nothing to do with Religion the way we understand Religion in the West. It is a text about decision-making and philosophy.
Thanks for making it obvious to other readers.