The Bhagavad Gita

by Swami Nikhilananda

Translated from the Sanskrit by Swami Nikhilananda with Notes, Comments and Introduction

From the inside front jacket:

The Bhagavad Gītā, an important Hindu scripture, is one of the outstanding religious classics in the world. Its unique feature is the emphasis given to the discharge of duties, irrespective of their nature, as an effective discipline for the realization of God. The stage set for the teaching was a battlefield; the aspirant, a warrior chief, was blessed there with the vision of the Universal Spirit. The teacher was Sri Krishna, the Lord Himself incarnated in a human body.

The Lord teaches through the Gītā that if a man performs his duties, surrendering the fruit to God and discarding all selfish motives, he gains purity of heart and achieves ultimate liberation. It is the knowledge of God that gives man the strength to face calmly and cheerfully the duties of life. The Gītā shows the way to spiritualize life and illumine even its drab and grey phases with the radiance of the Spirit. The book also treats of such metaphysical problems as the nature of the universe, God, the soul, the hereafter. It lays down practical spiritual disciplines which can be followed by all—irrespective of faith and creed.

The teachings of the Gita determined the spiritual culture of India during the many centuries from the close of the Upanishad period to the rise of Buddhism. The present translation, it is hoped, will help make this universal teaching available to Western readers in this time of confusion and spiritual need.

Reviews:

"The first really readable, authoritative English translation of one of the world's oldest and greatest religious classics." —Time

"Never in our time has this important work been made so accessible to the Western reader as in the present admirable translation by Swami Nikhilananda." —Denver Lindley, Asia and the Americas

Hardcover 373 pages with a Glossary