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aaronwhite's review against another edition
4.0
A conversation between Lord Krisna and Prince Arjuna, son of King Duryodhana, as they wait for battle on the Field of Law or Righteousness against the forces of evil. Arjuna is concerned that he is wrong to slay the enemy even in pursuit of a righteous duty. So he asks the God Krisna a number of questions about ethics, about action and inaction, about renunciation. Krishna responds by revealing Himself in a variety of guises, and by explaining the Brahma; the perfection of union with Himself; the reality of the Soul within the Body; the process of reincarnation; and especially the Three Moods: Goodness, Fieryness, and Darkness. All action or renunciation of action come from these Moods.
syntax_of_angels's review against another edition
I finished the actual Bhagavad Gita part. No way in hell am I reading allat other stuff.
crashburn's review against another edition
5.0
This was much easier to read, grasp, understand and process than I expected. I bought the book over a year ago and admit that I was strangely intimidated by it. Once I started reading, that all faded away. Some of the introductory clarifications felt redundant to me as the translation of the Gita itself felt so easy for me to absorb. Taking a Sanskrit course last year surely helped and yet I feel like this is truly accessible to anyone who may be swimming in the spiritual realm or is open to seeing beyond words. I’ll come back to the story of Krishna and Arjuna and may skip the chapter introductions in the future.
lyrabuttonnn's review against another edition
4.0
lowkey was gagged omg i know i will read this so many times in my life
missmadamemoon's review
5.0
I began this text before bed last night, and finished it upon rising this morning. It was a very powerful, inspiring, and peaceful reading. As with the Homeric Hymns, I am so glad I read THIS edition of “The Bhagavad Gita.” This is from the “Vintage Spiritual Classics.” As the editors indicate, this series “present[s] the testimony of writers across the centuries who have considered all these [spiritual] difficulties and who have pondered the mysterious ways, unfathomable mercies, and deep consolations afforded by God to those who call upon Him from out of the depths of their lives. These writers, then, are our companions, even our champions, in a common effort to discern the meaning of God in personal experience” (viii). I look most forward to reading “The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi” with a preface by “Madeleine L’Engle (“A Wrinkle in Time”).
The preface of this text is written by Eknath Easwaran (deceased Indian Prof. of Eng. at Berkley). In addition to setting the stage for the Gita, he explains important Hindu terms including Brahman, Atman, dharma, karma, samsara, and moksha. As the back cover indicates, the Gita is “the most famous poem in all of Hindu literature [and] consists of a dialogue [where] Krishna provides Prince Arjuna with the spiritual means to take action under trying circumstances.” Finally, I feel this text not only provides us with a glimpse into the power of Hinduism, but can be applied beyond Hinduism – to spiritualism in any shape or form.
Easwaran indicates that “Whatever form is worshiped it is only an aspect of the same on God” (xx). This reminded me of C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia,” particularly in “The Last Battle” where Aslan himself informs that no matter who one thinks one is worshipping, no matter what name it is given, if it is in good heart, it is to Aslan. In the Gita, Krishna informs, “Those who worship other gods with faith and devotion also worship me . . . even if they do not observe the usual forms. I am the object of all worship” (50). As Krishna lists all the ways he exists in the world, he states, “Among animals, I am the lion” (56). This, of course, only furthered the connection for me between the Hindu’s Krishna and Lewis’s lion form of the Christian God. This delights me!! What I see is that all religions are equal and all religions are right. If we worship in good heart and do good deeds for just reasons, we are walking a path toward the Creator, whoever that Creator may be. Easwaran instructs, “The whole purpose of every experience, every activity, every faculty, is to turn the human being inward and lead us back to our divine source” (xlviii). I do not think it matters what name we give that source, as long as we move towards it we move in the right direction. We can then each find a source – a religion, perhaps – a set of rituals and rites that makes sense for each of us. But, all those religions deliver us to the same sense of peace, goodliness, and closeness to God.
Easwaran also tells us that, “personality is a process, the human personality is constantly remaking itself . . . by training the mind, the Gita says, anyone can learn to step in and change old ways of thinking. That is the central principle of yoga” (xxxiv). I love the emphasis that we are in charge of our lives. If we can train ourselves to find that quiet place inside and to focus beyond the busy-ness of life, we can find this peace and determine our thoughts and our reactions to the events around us. When we can do this, we are free. “Whatever comes – success or failure, praise or blame, victory or defeat – he can give his best with a clear, unruffled mind. Nothing can shake his courage or break his will; no setback can depress her or make her feel burned out” (xl). I think we would all do well to remember this. As Buddha directed: “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. We are made of our thoughts; we are molded by our thoughts” (qtd. on xlvii). We would do best, then, to direct those thoughts to our Creator.
In his final paragraph, Easwaran reminds us: “The Gita places human destiny entirely in human hands . . . we shape ourselves and our world by what we believe and think and act on, whether for good or for ill” (xlix). So, again, if we act in good heart, we will move toward the Supreme / the Creator / God. And if we continue to take those good steps, we affect our own lives and those around us with a positive and spiritual force.
Finally, Krishna informs us: “The body is mortal, but he who dwells in the body is immortal and immeasurable . . . there is neither slayer nor slain. You were never born; you will never die . . . you do not die when the body dies” (10.) “The Self of all beings, living within the body, is eternal and cannot be harmed” (11). While I am very attached to this world and enjoy the experience of it, I do find a great comfort in knowing that at the end of this body, I do not end. There is a great beyond; I do not think we can deny it. And, amongst the chaos we sometimes experience and the fears that we face, I find it comforting that the chaos cannot destroy the Self.
On another note, as I am taking a course in Dreams right now, this struck a chord in me: “the ego dies every night. Every morning we pick up our desires where we left off . . . as a person’s last waking thoughts shape his dreams, the contents of the unconscious at the time of death – the residue of all he has thoughts and desired and lived for in the past – determine the context of his next life” (xxxvi). This made my dream journal seem all the more important; I want to know my unconscious self! And, among other things, this also made me think of the scene in Hamlet, where our protagonist cannot kill the villainous King after he asks for forgiveness.
On a final note, I will leave you with these words from Krishna,
“Be fearless and pure; never waver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life. Give freely. Be self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve . . . Do not get angry or harm any living creature, but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all. Cultivate vigor, patience, will purity; avoid malice and pride. [Then] you will achieve your divine destiny” (81).
Catholic or Baptist, Hindu or Buddhist, Jew or agnostic, I think we will all do well to reflect upon these words.
The preface of this text is written by Eknath Easwaran (deceased Indian Prof. of Eng. at Berkley). In addition to setting the stage for the Gita, he explains important Hindu terms including Brahman, Atman, dharma, karma, samsara, and moksha. As the back cover indicates, the Gita is “the most famous poem in all of Hindu literature [and] consists of a dialogue [where] Krishna provides Prince Arjuna with the spiritual means to take action under trying circumstances.” Finally, I feel this text not only provides us with a glimpse into the power of Hinduism, but can be applied beyond Hinduism – to spiritualism in any shape or form.
Easwaran indicates that “Whatever form is worshiped it is only an aspect of the same on God” (xx). This reminded me of C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia,” particularly in “The Last Battle” where Aslan himself informs that no matter who one thinks one is worshipping, no matter what name it is given, if it is in good heart, it is to Aslan. In the Gita, Krishna informs, “Those who worship other gods with faith and devotion also worship me . . . even if they do not observe the usual forms. I am the object of all worship” (50). As Krishna lists all the ways he exists in the world, he states, “Among animals, I am the lion” (56). This, of course, only furthered the connection for me between the Hindu’s Krishna and Lewis’s lion form of the Christian God. This delights me!! What I see is that all religions are equal and all religions are right. If we worship in good heart and do good deeds for just reasons, we are walking a path toward the Creator, whoever that Creator may be. Easwaran instructs, “The whole purpose of every experience, every activity, every faculty, is to turn the human being inward and lead us back to our divine source” (xlviii). I do not think it matters what name we give that source, as long as we move towards it we move in the right direction. We can then each find a source – a religion, perhaps – a set of rituals and rites that makes sense for each of us. But, all those religions deliver us to the same sense of peace, goodliness, and closeness to God.
Easwaran also tells us that, “personality is a process, the human personality is constantly remaking itself . . . by training the mind, the Gita says, anyone can learn to step in and change old ways of thinking. That is the central principle of yoga” (xxxiv). I love the emphasis that we are in charge of our lives. If we can train ourselves to find that quiet place inside and to focus beyond the busy-ness of life, we can find this peace and determine our thoughts and our reactions to the events around us. When we can do this, we are free. “Whatever comes – success or failure, praise or blame, victory or defeat – he can give his best with a clear, unruffled mind. Nothing can shake his courage or break his will; no setback can depress her or make her feel burned out” (xl). I think we would all do well to remember this. As Buddha directed: “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. We are made of our thoughts; we are molded by our thoughts” (qtd. on xlvii). We would do best, then, to direct those thoughts to our Creator.
In his final paragraph, Easwaran reminds us: “The Gita places human destiny entirely in human hands . . . we shape ourselves and our world by what we believe and think and act on, whether for good or for ill” (xlix). So, again, if we act in good heart, we will move toward the Supreme / the Creator / God. And if we continue to take those good steps, we affect our own lives and those around us with a positive and spiritual force.
Finally, Krishna informs us: “The body is mortal, but he who dwells in the body is immortal and immeasurable . . . there is neither slayer nor slain. You were never born; you will never die . . . you do not die when the body dies” (10.) “The Self of all beings, living within the body, is eternal and cannot be harmed” (11). While I am very attached to this world and enjoy the experience of it, I do find a great comfort in knowing that at the end of this body, I do not end. There is a great beyond; I do not think we can deny it. And, amongst the chaos we sometimes experience and the fears that we face, I find it comforting that the chaos cannot destroy the Self.
On another note, as I am taking a course in Dreams right now, this struck a chord in me: “the ego dies every night. Every morning we pick up our desires where we left off . . . as a person’s last waking thoughts shape his dreams, the contents of the unconscious at the time of death – the residue of all he has thoughts and desired and lived for in the past – determine the context of his next life” (xxxvi). This made my dream journal seem all the more important; I want to know my unconscious self! And, among other things, this also made me think of the scene in Hamlet, where our protagonist cannot kill the villainous King after he asks for forgiveness.
On a final note, I will leave you with these words from Krishna,
“Be fearless and pure; never waver in your determination or your dedication to the spiritual life. Give freely. Be self-controlled, sincere, truthful, loving, and full of the desire to serve . . . Do not get angry or harm any living creature, but be compassionate and gentle; show good will to all. Cultivate vigor, patience, will purity; avoid malice and pride. [Then] you will achieve your divine destiny” (81).
Catholic or Baptist, Hindu or Buddhist, Jew or agnostic, I think we will all do well to reflect upon these words.
sbright421's review against another edition
5.0
This is an 800 verse section of the larger 200,000 verse epic poem of the Mahabharata, one of the two traditionally written down texts of Hinduism (I read the other one in full, the Ramayana, in an English class in high school). It is written as a conversation between the warrior Arjuna and the god of all gods, Krishna. Arjuna is stressed out about fighting in a war against distant family members, but Krishna throughout the whole book encourages him to fight for a variety of religious reasons.
This was part of my exploration of the connection between the ideas that quantum physicists have discussed in the books I've read about that topic and Eastern religious philosophy. Because this was the actual religious text itself, with very little commentary in the form of short sentences off to the side, it was up to me to make the connections between the quantum physics and the Hindu religious theory.
I enjoyed reading this for a few reasons, the first being that it actually is written as a poem. It even rhymes, so as you're reading you're able to establish almost a rhythm to read it in in your head. According to the very short appendix in the back, this is to help the reader memorize the verses. I wasn't reading this as a devout practitioner, but I can see how that would be helpful for those that were and it made it a breeze to get through (it was short enough as it is).
Secondly, there actually were a lot of connections between this, the Buddhist commentary of the heart sutra that I read last week, and the philosophical side of quantum physics. I think the one I found most striking is this idea of perspective and right-sizing our actions. In quantum physics, or at least in The Dancing Wu Li Masters (which I read earlier this month), there's an implication that our perspective dictates our understanding of the way that the world works and that that is not always helpful when attempting to grasp the awesome nature of the universe. I might be sitting still to someone that is also on Earth, but if someone in the ISS were to look down at me, I would be moving at the speed of Earth's rotation. This alone can take the observer down a massive rabbit hole, especially when we zoom in to the sub-atomic level. The computer I'm writing this on might be made of plastics and metals when I look at it, but what are those metals made of? What is the fundamental particle that creates anything? We simply don't know the answer to that question, and if we keep zooming in closer and closer is it even possible to identify what that fundamental particle is? Is it nothing? This, to me, makes the question of the existence of a higher power or God incredibly interesting and something that the Gita and the heart sutra both discuss. If there is this existence of a higher power, these texts (the Gita and the heart sutra) that have been around for thousands of years give an instruction manual for life *if* that's the case, and there are a lot of similarities between the two texts themselves.
The Gita makes it clear that Krishna exists in all beings on Earth, and their natures, actions, "agent", mind, constancy/firmness and happiness are either good, passion, or dark. The common denominator of goodness in all of these categories seems to be right-sizing yourself and doing the right thing without expecting a reward for it. The reward that one gets from goodness is being closer to realizing Krishna's existence in all beings, and that realization comes with the ultimate reward of being freed from the cycle of rebirth. The theme of being freed from rebirth is obviously a Buddhist principle as well, but freedom from that cycle is achieved in a slightly different way. In Hinduism, or at least in the Bhagavad Gita, that freedom is the direct result of taking right action. There isn't the principle of nothingness or emptiness in the Gita, even if meditation has seemingly an equally important part to play in achieving that freedom from rebirth in Hinduism. In the Gita, meditation is meant to connect oneself to Krishna to receive guidance on right action (again it seems this way, I am no expert) while in Buddhism the emptiness and nothingness of meditation almost serves as an analogy of the world as a whole. The realization that Krishna is in everybody is achieving nirvana in Hinduism. The realization that everything is impermanent, and that impermanence means that the universe is empty is achieving nirvana in Buddhism.
I'm really enjoying this philosophical rabbit hole I've fallen down the past few weeks! Because of these books, I've even started getting on myself about meditation more and it's been a really fun experience.
This was part of my exploration of the connection between the ideas that quantum physicists have discussed in the books I've read about that topic and Eastern religious philosophy. Because this was the actual religious text itself, with very little commentary in the form of short sentences off to the side, it was up to me to make the connections between the quantum physics and the Hindu religious theory.
I enjoyed reading this for a few reasons, the first being that it actually is written as a poem. It even rhymes, so as you're reading you're able to establish almost a rhythm to read it in in your head. According to the very short appendix in the back, this is to help the reader memorize the verses. I wasn't reading this as a devout practitioner, but I can see how that would be helpful for those that were and it made it a breeze to get through (it was short enough as it is).
Secondly, there actually were a lot of connections between this, the Buddhist commentary of the heart sutra that I read last week, and the philosophical side of quantum physics. I think the one I found most striking is this idea of perspective and right-sizing our actions. In quantum physics, or at least in The Dancing Wu Li Masters (which I read earlier this month), there's an implication that our perspective dictates our understanding of the way that the world works and that that is not always helpful when attempting to grasp the awesome nature of the universe. I might be sitting still to someone that is also on Earth, but if someone in the ISS were to look down at me, I would be moving at the speed of Earth's rotation. This alone can take the observer down a massive rabbit hole, especially when we zoom in to the sub-atomic level. The computer I'm writing this on might be made of plastics and metals when I look at it, but what are those metals made of? What is the fundamental particle that creates anything? We simply don't know the answer to that question, and if we keep zooming in closer and closer is it even possible to identify what that fundamental particle is? Is it nothing? This, to me, makes the question of the existence of a higher power or God incredibly interesting and something that the Gita and the heart sutra both discuss. If there is this existence of a higher power, these texts (the Gita and the heart sutra) that have been around for thousands of years give an instruction manual for life *if* that's the case, and there are a lot of similarities between the two texts themselves.
The Gita makes it clear that Krishna exists in all beings on Earth, and their natures, actions, "agent", mind, constancy/firmness and happiness are either good, passion, or dark. The common denominator of goodness in all of these categories seems to be right-sizing yourself and doing the right thing without expecting a reward for it. The reward that one gets from goodness is being closer to realizing Krishna's existence in all beings, and that realization comes with the ultimate reward of being freed from the cycle of rebirth. The theme of being freed from rebirth is obviously a Buddhist principle as well, but freedom from that cycle is achieved in a slightly different way. In Hinduism, or at least in the Bhagavad Gita, that freedom is the direct result of taking right action. There isn't the principle of nothingness or emptiness in the Gita, even if meditation has seemingly an equally important part to play in achieving that freedom from rebirth in Hinduism. In the Gita, meditation is meant to connect oneself to Krishna to receive guidance on right action (again it seems this way, I am no expert) while in Buddhism the emptiness and nothingness of meditation almost serves as an analogy of the world as a whole. The realization that Krishna is in everybody is achieving nirvana in Hinduism. The realization that everything is impermanent, and that impermanence means that the universe is empty is achieving nirvana in Buddhism.
I'm really enjoying this philosophical rabbit hole I've fallen down the past few weeks! Because of these books, I've even started getting on myself about meditation more and it's been a really fun experience.
leoreadssmut's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0