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Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 294.592404521
EAN: 9780609810347
ISBN: 0609810340
Label: Three Rivers Press
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: August 27, 2002
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Release Date: August 27, 2002
Studio: Three Rivers Press
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Editorial Review:
On the list of the greatest spiritual books of all time, the Bhagavad Gita resides permanently in the top echelon. This poem of patently Indian genius sprouted an immense tree of devotional, artistic, and philosophical elaboration in the subcontinent. The scene is a battlefield with the prince Arjuna pitted against his own family, but no sooner does the poem begin than the action reverts inward. Krishna, Arjuna's avatar and spiritual guide, points the way to the supreme wisdom and perfect freedom that lie within everyone's reach. Worship and be faithful, meditate and know reality--these make up the secret of life and lead eventually to the realization that the self is the root of the world. In this titular translation, Stephen Mitchell's rhythms are faultless, making music of this ancient "Song of the Blessed One." Savor his rendition, but nibble around the edges of his introduction. In a bizarre mixture of praise and condescension, Mitchell disregards two millennia of Indian commentary, seeking illumination on the text from Daoism and Zen, with the Gita coming up just shy of full spiritual merit. Perhaps we should take it from Gandhi, who used the Gita as a handbook for life, that it nourishes on many levels. --Brian Bruya
Stephen Mitchell is widely known for his ability to make ancient masterpieces thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and create versions that are definitive for our time. His celebrated version of the Tao Te Ching is the most popular edition in print, and his translations of Jesus, Rilke, Genesis, and Job have won the hearts of readers and critics alike. Stephen Mitchell now brings to the Bhagavad Gita his gift for breathing new life into sacred texts.
The Bhagavad Gita is universally acknowledged as one of the world's literary and spiritual masterpieces. It is the core text of the Hindu tradition and has been treasured by American writers from Emerson and Thoreau to T. S. Eliot, who called it the greatest philosophical poem after the Divine Comedy. There have been more than two hundred English translations of the Gita, including many competent literal versions, but not one of them is a superlative literary text in its own right.Now all that has changed. Stephen Mitchell's Bhagavad Gita sings with the clarity, the vigor, and the intensity of the original Sanskrit. It will, as William Arrowsmith said of Mitchell's translation of The Sonnets to Orpheus, "instantly make every other rendering obsolete."
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - New Speculations on Bhagavad Gita
This one is a total waste of time and money. He is on the same track as Capra in twisting interpretations to what he agrees with and what he wants it to be, not what it is. I wonder why all these mundane philosophers play with their own karma downplaying the "Song of the Lord" to fit their own speculations and hallucinations. Not recommended like at all.
Rating:  - Beautifully written, but a somewhat flawed translation
I give this book two and a half stars for it reads well, but unfortunately it is not always accurate in places. It is not even a question of a debatable translation due to the difficulties of Sanskrit, it is more serious: Steven Mitchell every now and then deliberately omits whole sentences, phrases or words (apparently due to his desire to have his translation flow in four line verses) and this sometimes significantly changes the intended meaning of the verse. I also noticed at least one instance ... Read More
Rating:  - Meditation literature
FANTASTIC!!!!! This is a great translation. It m akes the Gita accessible. This is great to read and explore. The translation is beautiful. It's a great reprensentation of the Gita's complex meaning while not getting lost in never ending sentences. Beautifull work.
Rating: - ***Excellent Book Finally***
I read many many translations of the Bhagvad Gita including the one written by Mahatma Gandhi. I found almost all of these books poorly explained, confusing and lacking in clarity.
How ever this translation is by far the best and most clearly and easily understandable version I have ever read. It is in one word a - beautiful - interpretation of the Bhagvad Gita and would highly recommend it to ALL, especially to folks with non-hindu back grounds.
Rating: - Poetry makes a difference
There is a lot to be said about the poetic approach in this translation. The spell-binding rhythms and "turns of phrase" in the original sanskrit may not be perfectly reproduced, but Mitchell made me realize that the repetition- slightly different each time, was like a flower opening, giving subtle meaning, flavor and beauty- the whole being greater than "a single petal".
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