The Bhagavad-Gita (Galaxy Books, 389) [Paperback]

Robert Charles Zaehner (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Galaxy Books, 389 | Publication Date: February 15, 1973

The most widely read and probably the most important of the Hindu Sacred Books for the understanding of religious mysticism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"More scholarly than the Miller translation. Useful to have the Sanskrit."--Omid Safi, Duke University

"The Gita is perhaps India's most studied text, and its words are still a source of inspiration to the Indian population."--Diversion

About the Author

Robert Charles Zaehner (1913-1974) was Spalding Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics, University of Oxford and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 15, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195016661
• ISBN-13: 978-0195016666
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,519,126 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best., October 5, 2000

By 

"be2have" (SLC, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bhagavad-Gita (Galaxy Books, 389) (Paperback)

I have read a couple other translations of this inspirational text, but I found R.C. Zaehner's to be a hidden treasure. A more literal and scholarly book than Barbara Stoler Miller's. He includes additional information from other classic Hindu writtings and transliteration of the sanskrit text. A very enjoyable read for those serious about philosophy and Hinduism.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true treasure that never stops yielding up gems of understanding, March 3, 2007

By 

Donald M. Campbell (Moultonborough, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bhagavad-Gita (Galaxy Books, 389) (Paperback)

I have greatly enjoyed, and benefitted from, the late Professor R.C. Zaehner's wonderful translation of, and extensive commentary upon, The Bhagavad-Gita. The book was originally published in 1969, but is still in print (which is quite a testimonial in itself).

I can't praise this book highly enough. The introduction alone is worth the price of the book, yet virtually every one of Dr. Zaehner's notes to his excellent translation brings a thrilling "Ah Ha!" of connection and understanding.

I especially appreciate that, instead of interpreting the Gita in such a way as to buttress his own spiritual/religious point of view, Zaehner explores the deeper meaning of each chapter and verse of the Gita in reference to the rest of the text, and to the totality of the Mahabharata, and to the great commentators on the Gita, including Ramanuja and Shankara. His intention is to tease out what the Gita itself is trying to say, rather than imposing his own views upon it; I greatly respect that. And his commentary also benefits from his broad and deep understansing of Sanskrit and of the great spiritual teachings of India and Persia--and so, of course, his readers benefit as well.

I am almost continually re-reading this book. Each time, I understand it a little more. It is a treasure.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, scholarly translation, July 30, 2009

By 

Shami Ghosh - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bhagavad-Gita (Galaxy Books, 389) (Paperback)

Not having Sanskrit myself, I am not really qualified to judge the quality of the translation; what is so attractive about this version is that the translator strives, in his own admission, for accuracy, rather than the flights of poetic fancy often favoured by earlier translations; and even more importantly, this translation has an extensive and outstanding scholarly apparatus, which is an essential aid to understanding this complex work.