Essays on the Gita, New U.S. Paperback Ed. [Paperback]

Sri Aurobindo (Author), Aurobindo Ghose (Author), Aurobindo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

A masterly exposition of the pre-eminent Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. Itwas after reading these essays, in particular, that in the 1930's PresidentWilson's daughter went to Sri Aurobindo and devoted her life - receiving thename Nishtha via his vision in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry. Index.

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About the Author

Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15, 1872, in Calcutta, India. At the age of seven, he went to England for his education. After taking a Tripos in the Classics from Kings College, Cambridge, he returned to India in 1893. For the next fourteen years, he worked in the Princely State of Baroda, in various government departments and as a professor in Baroda College. During this period, he mastered Sanskrit, Bengali and several other Indian languages and produced a prolific output of poetry and literary criticism.

In 1906, Sri Aurobindo quit his post in Baroda and went to Calcutta, where he became one of the leaders of Indias struggle for independence from British colonial rule. In this context, he envisaged and organized a two-pronged approach non-violent Boycott and non-cooperation for the masses and revolutionary action leading to armed insurrection for those who were ready to sacrifice themselves for the country. Arrested in May, 1908 for conspiracy, he spent one year in jail as an undertrial prisoner, but was then acquitted.

from 1905, at Baroda, Sri Aurobindo took to the practice of the spiritual discipline of yoga, initially as a means to enhance his capacity to bring India her independence. Subsequently, in 1910, he withdrew from politics and moved to Pondicherry to devote himself exclusively to the practice of yoga.

After gathering up in himself the essential elements of past spiritual experience, he moved on in search of a more complete realization, one which would unite the two poles of Spirit and Matter. During his forty years in Pondicherry, he worked out a new system of spiritual development which he called the Integral Yoga. The aim of this yoga is a spiritual realization which will not only liberate mans consciousness but transform his nature and divinize life. In 1926, Sri Aurobindo withdrew to the seclusion of his room, but continued to maintain contact with disciples through a large correspondence and by giving darshan four times a year. Among his many writings of the Pondicherry period, the best known are The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, Essays of the Gita and Savitri. Sri Aurobindo left his body on 5th December, 1950. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

We of the coming day stand at the head of a new age of development which must lead to such a new and larger synthesis. We do not belong to the past dawns but to the noons of the future. A mass of new materials is flowing into us; we have not only to assimilate the influences of the great theistic religions of India and of the world and a recovered sense of the meaning of Buddhism, but to take full account of the potent though limited revelations of modern knowledge and seeking; and beyond that, the remote and dateless past which seemed to be dead is returning upon us with an effulgence of many luminous secrets long lost to the consciousness of mankind but now breaking out again from behind the veil. All this points to a new, a very rich, a very vast synthesis; a fresh and widely embracing harmonization of our gains is both an intellectual and a spiritual necessity of the future. But just as the past syntheses have taken those which preceded them for their starting point, so also must that of the future, to be on firm ground, proceed from what the great bodies of realized spiritual thought and experience in the past have given. Among them the Gita takes a most important place.

Our object, then, in studying the Gita will not be a scholastic or academic scrutiny of its thought, nor to place its philosophy in the history of metaphysical speculation, nor shall we deal with it in the manner of the analytical dialectician. We approach it for help and light and our aim must be to distinguish its essential and living message, that in it on which humanity has to seize for its perfection and its highest spiritual welfare. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 588 pages
• Publisher: Lotus Press (WI); 2 edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914955187
• ISBN-13: 978-0914955184
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions > Jainism

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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best companion for serious study of the Gita, March 11, 2001

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"sadhaka" (Haydenville, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essays on the Gita (Paperback)

This is the best modern commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. The scripture itself is a synthesis of many of the most important Indian spiritual philosophies, and is, in my opinion, by far the most relevant to modern humanity and the most inspiring to westerners. It contains instruction in the highest forms of Yoga with an eye towards the needs of practical people involved in the often confusing and distressing activities of life in the world.

Sri Aurobindo clearly states his intentions towards this text in the introduction: to put the teachings of the Gita in a modern context, that is, to see how they can be made relevant to readers in the present day.

In addition, he asks for a more objective look at the text than certain other interpretations. While I found that he, in general, carried this out, it is not dry, nor is there any vacillation: the book is imbued with the author's ideas about evolution and the role of man in relation to the divine and the author is clear in his interpretive bent.

Most important, however, is that his explinations of the meaning of the scripture are truly magical. He clarifies confusing points with such ease and lucidity, I often found myself thinking "Ah, but that's so clear! How'd I ever have a problem with it?"

This is NOT, however, an easy text to read. Sri Aurobindo went to Cambridge during the 1890's and the language he uses is not what most people are used to. He is deliberately thorough and has no inhibitions about repeating himself with slight variation if there is an even slightly different context shedding light on the passage. He uses long sentences when expressing large, transcendent ideas (that is, most of the time) and it is easy to get lost in his paragraphs.

In addition, the scope of the Gita when expressed in this way is tremendous. Not all of the text can possibly be relevant to someone's life, and at times it can seem as if he's belaboring the point. Often, however, such troubling passages become the ones that are most inspiring when reread in a different context.

Therefore, I strongly recommend this book, but only to people who are interested in serious, deep study of the Gita and are willing to invest a lot of time and effort into it. The rewards can be truly fabulous.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterly exposition, January 27, 2000

By 

G.Srinivasan (India) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essays on the Gita (Paperback)

This book occupies the highest place among the modern commentaries on Gita because it is original, profound and written in a language that is powerful and poetic. There are no digressions from the main argument of the Book. All the complexity, subtle beauty, grace and the vast synthesis of Gita is captured perfectly. The last chapter titled "Message of the Gita" provides such an excellent summary that reading it gives the satisfaction of the study of the entire Gita. This book is a treat for both the beginner as well as the scholar. The normal commentaries which give interpretation for each stanza usually miss out the connecting themes, underlying ideas and the progression in the argument of the eighteen chapters of the Gita. This book is an exception. It is unique in form and style among the modern commentaries of the Gita.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and true to the text, February 25, 1997

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This review is from: Essays on the Gita (Paperback)

Sri Aurobindo is definitely among the most notable of Indian authors in the recent past. In this collection of articles on the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, he has brought out the essence of the doctrines of sanAtana dharma, popularly known as Hinduism, that is described in the Gita. The english is old style and the sentences are often long, but the serious student of Hinduism will certainly enjoy reading the book. This book is a definite departure from the usual 'introductory' texts on Hinduism. In his inimitable style, he discusses the exposition in the Gita of God (as three purushas) and His relationship to the world, the Divine manifestation (sambhuti and vibhuti) as well as the scope of the doctrines of karma, svabhAva, svadharma, the three gunas and yoga.