Perseus Academic: The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran

The Bhagavad Gita, “The Song of the Lord,” is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Eknath Easwaran’s clear, readable translation has consistently been the best-selling edition. This classic text opens dramatically on the battlefield, as the warrior Arjuna turns in anguish to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental questions of life. But as Easwaran points out, the Gita is not simply a dialogue between two heroic figures at the dawn of Indian history. “The battlefield is a perfect backdrop, but the Gita’s subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage” to live a life that is meaningful, fulfilling, and worthwhile.

Easwaran’s introduction places the Gita in its historical setting and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. Chapter introductions give clear explanations of key concepts, and notes and a glossary explain Sanskrit terms.

Eknath Easwaran (1919–1999) brings to these volumes a rare blend of credentials: knowledge of Sanskrit and Pali, an intuitive understanding of his Indian spiritual legacy, and a mastery of English. He was chairman of the English department at a major Indian university when he came to the United States on the Fulbright Exchange program in 1959. A gifted teacher who lived for many years in the West, Easwaran explains the concepts underlying the classics of Indian spirituality in fresh, authoritative, and profoundly simple ways.