Bhagavad Gita [Paperback]

Swami Satyananda Saraswati (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

The famous dialogue between Krisha and Arjuna describing the surrender of selfishness through the Yoga of devotion and wisdom. By performing every action with full attention striving to manifest the ideal of perfection, one manifests divine behavior and becomes a being of pure light and wisdom. The original Sanskrita mantras, Roman phonetic transliteration and English translation are included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I found Swami Satyandna's Gita lucid and filled with spiritual emotion. This remarkable translation is a treasure. -- Steven Newmark, Ph.D., author of Maharaji's Darshan

Swami Satyananda is not a dry academic, nor an Indian pundit. His translation is alive with meaning. -- Steven Newmark, Ph.D., author of Maharaji's Darshan

This is an excellent translation with a very readable modern English application of this knowledge to modern life. -- Juie Victor, India Currents, Dec, 1997 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

When Swami Satyananda's guru invited him to trek into the Himalayas, he asked what he should bring along. "Nothing," came the reply. Fifteen years later, Swamiji knew the mountain pathways as well as the Hindu systems of worship. His numerous books and translations of ancient Sanskrit texts are available all over India, as well as in the United States, and he is widely regarded as a Master of the ancient Vedic fire ceremony and other systems of worship. Now Swamiji invites us to trek into the Himalayas and listen and learn from the sadhus of the mountains.

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: Devi Mandir (January 1, 1998)
• ISBN-10: 1877795232
• ISBN-13: 978-1877795237
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,127,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable treasure!, April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bhagavad Gita (Paperback)

There are many very good Bhagavad Gita's available in the english lanugage. It has undoubtably been the most populary translated Hindu scripture. What sets this translation of the Gita apart has much to do with the translator himself. Swami Satyandna is not a dry academic who has not experienced the truth of the Bhagavad Gita directly. Nor is he an Indian pundit trying to bridge the communication gap between the east and the west.

Before Swami Satyanada became a swami, he lived in California for the first twenty years of his life. After completing his studies to became a lawyer, he set off for a trip around the world. When he reached India he was so attracted to the depth of India's wisdom that he couldn't leave. He ended up living in India, as a sadhu and swami, for the next twenty years. In India, he studied with many enlightened masters who taught him the esoteric meaning of all the Hindu scriptures. Then he spent many years studying and relating each scripture to his own life experience.

In 1985, Swami Satyananda returned to India with his guru, Shree Maa. Since then he has been teaching westerners how to apply these scriptures to their hectic, daily lives. It is this experience that makes his translation of the Bhagavad Gita particularly important and relevant for westerners. As the Swami says in his introduction, "every sadhu in every generation should rewrite the Gita, retranslate it into contemporary language and symbols, which are meaningful to the present time, place and circumstances."

I found Swami Satyananda's Gita lucid, impactful and filled with spiritual emotion. He did an excellent job of making this ancient text relevant and meaningful to my daily life. This remarkable translation of the Bhagavad Gita is a treasure.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This remarkable translation of the Gita is a treasure., April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bhagavad Gita (Paperback)

There are many very good Bhagavad Gita's available in the English language. It has undoubtedly been the most popularly translated Hindu scripture. What sets this translation of the Gita apart has much to do with the translator himself. Swami Satyananda is not a dry academic who has not experienced the truth of the Bhagavad Gita directly. Nor is he an Indian pundit trying to bridge the communication gap between the east and the west.

Before Swami Satyananda became a swami, he lived in California for the first twenty years of his life. After completing his studies to became a lawyer, he set off for a trip around the world. When he reached India he was so attracted to the depth of India's wisdom that he couldn't leave. He ended up living in India, as a sadhu and swami, for the next twenty years. In India, he studied with many enlightened masters who taught him the esoteric meaning of all the Hindu scriptures. Then he spent many years studying and relating each scripture to his own life experience.

In 1985, Swami Satyananda returned to the US with his guru, Shree Maa. Since then he has been teaching westerners how to apply these scriptures to their hectic, daily lives. It is this experience that makes his translation of the Bhagavad Gita particularly important and relevant for westerners. As the Swami says in his introduction, "every sadhu in every generation should rewrite the Gita, retranslate it into contemporary language and symbols, which are meaningful to the present time, place and circumstances."

I found Swami Satyananda's Gita lucid, impactful and filled with spiritual emotion. He did an excellent job of making this ancient text relevant and meaningful to my daily life. This remarkable translation of the Bhagavad Gita is a treasure.

Steven Newmark, Ph.D., author of Maharaji's Darshan

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Krishna is our Teacher, December 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bhagavad Gita (Paperback)

At first I wondered why anyone would want to do another translation of the Bhavagad Gita. There are already so many beautiful translations of this work in English. However, when I read Swami Satyananda Saraswati's translation, I was truly amazed. I felt as though I was reading the Bhavagad Gita for the first time! I became Arjuna and Lord Krishna was right in front of me teaching me and revealing Himself to me. There are no words adequate to this experience. I thank Swami Satyananda Saraswati and I bow down to him and Shree Maa for opening the doorway to this profound work, for bringing me into the presence of Lord Krishna.