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Thread: Best Gita version

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    Best Gita version

    Which Gita do you recommend as best translation and commentary ? Thanks

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    Re: Best Gita version

    Quote Originally Posted by kamaferro View Post
    Which Gita do you recommend as best translation and commentary ? Thanks
    Bhagavad Gita by vaishnawa sant Dnyaneshwara or by Bhagavan ShankarAchArya...

    One suggestion: Avoid reading BG of modern philosophers and Gurus.

    Thank You

  3. #3

    Re: Best Gita version

    Quote Originally Posted by hinduism♥krishna View Post
    Bhagavad Gita by vaishnawa sant Dnyaneshwara or by Bhagavan ShankarAchArya...

    One suggestion: Avoid reading BG of modern philosophers and Gurus.

    Thank You

    thanks what about Sivananda, or Swami Chidbhavananda. or The Song of God by Swami Prabhavananda. ? I don't want something complicate to understand I am just starting. Thanks

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    Re: Best Gita version

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~
    namasté

    Quote Originally Posted by kamaferro View Post
    Which Gita do you recommend as best translation and commentary ? Thanks
    What I have learned is to read many views... one view is interesting, yet many views allows the mind to compare and contrast ideas, notions, etc.
    So , what may be a few of these offers ? ( Again, this is not a reading assignment, just ideas for ones consideration)
    • mahaṛṣi mahesh yogī's commentary chapters 1 to 6
    • abhinavagupata's commentary on the bhāgavad gītā
    • Śrī Jñānadeva's Bhāvārṭa Dīpikā some call Jñāeśvarī ( his commentary the bhāgavad gītā)
    • S.rādhākṛṣṇan has a different view on this matter but worth a look
    • mahābhārata by Kisari Mohan Ganguli, as the gita is part of this
    • svāmī prabhupāda's bhāgavad gītā as it is
    We know the the bhāgavad gītā is divided into 18 chapters. Why 18 chapters not 12 or 21 or 15 or 9? A point of view is is offered here: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=21869&postcount=7

    We also note that the bhāgavad gītā is from the mahābhārata , bhīṣma¹ parva, consisting of the 25th through 42nd chapters. There are some that see the bhāgavad gītā parva (section) starting at chapter 13, were sanjaya rushes to the king dhṛtarāṣṭra¹ to depict for him the actions that are taking place on the battlefield. Many say the bhāgavad gītā consists of 700 verses, others say 701. We even find some with 748 verses.

    iti śivaṁ

    words

    • bhīṣma happens to be one of the twelve most knowledgeable people on dharma. The bhAghavataM says that there are only twelve men in the whole world who know the ins and outs of dharma in all its subtlety. These twelve are: BrahmA, the Creator; Narada, the roving sage; Lord Siva; Lord SubrahmaNya; the sage Kapila; Manu the law-giver; the boy-devotee Prahlada; King Janaka; bhīṣma; King Bali; the boy-sage Suka, the reciter of the bhAgavatam; and Yama, the Lord of Death and Dispenser of Justice.
      • Thus bhīṣma happens to be one of the twelve most knowledgeable people on dharma. It was fitting therefore that when yudhiṣṭhira at the end of the mahābhārata war wanted to know all the subtleties of all the different types of dharma, he was directed to go to bhīṣma by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. More on bhīṣma here: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=15089&postcount=2
    • dhṛtarāṣṭra was the eldest son of vyāsa by the widow of vicitra-vīrya (brother of pāṇḍu and vidura) and born blind; husband of gāndhāri and father of 100 sons of whom the eldest was duryodhana
      • dhṛtarāṣṭra means whose empire is firm , a powerful king - from dhṛta धृत held born or maintained + rāṣṭra राष्ट्र kingdom, realm , empire , dominion , district , country
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

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    Re: Best Gita version

    Quote Originally Posted by hinduism♥krishna View Post
    One suggestion: Avoid reading BG of modern philosophers and Gurus.

    Thank You
    May I know who are those "modern philosophers and gurus" and why is it that one must avoid them, what is it that you found 'wrong' in their giving?

    Also, is it wrong for someone to be a 'philosopher' or a 'guru' if the times are 'modern'?? You sound as if someone is wrong just because they belong to modern times. For your information, the modern times, i.e. the past 100 yrs are much, much better when coming to some social evils such as caste-ism, even when compared to the times of sant Jnaneshwar. So I would say, if 'modern times' alone are a determining factor to decide who is 'good' and who is 'bad', then using this 1 parameter alone, I would say a 'modern day' philosopher or guru is better than Jnaneshwar, as he/she has got better influences from the society.
    Last edited by Viraja; 05 November 2014 at 05:02 PM.
    jai hanuman gyan gun sagar jai kapis tihu lok ujagar

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    Re: Best Gita version

    Namaste,

    Quote Originally Posted by kamaferro View Post
    Which Gita do you recommend as best translation and commentary?
    Now that is subjective. Whichever translation jives with one's previous conditioning will sound most logical and be deemed as the best.

    Lot of good, detailed advice has been provided. Since you are a beginner and want to get your feet wet, I would say just start with the ISKCON version by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prubhupadji. Once you have a grasp of the basics and understand the underlying Hindu philosophy, then you can shop around for what sounds best to you, per your prior conditioning.

    Pranam.

  8. #8

    Re: Best Gita version

    Pranams,

    Bhagavad Gita is such a blessing to me. Whatever version we read if we read it with attention it will lead us to want to investigate more. My Gurudeva said that one should just not read but ponder, meditate on the verses, let them sink in.

    I read several versions and I find it interesting to see how different translations only add more depth and meaning.

    I am now just going through a modern translation Tat Tvam Asi The Universal Message in The Bhagavadgita By Pathikonda Viswambara Nath

    If I sometimes read a contradiction, I don't dismiss it but rather put it on the shelf and hope to understand it better when I advance more.

    The great thing about Sri Bhagavad Gita is that there are so many "aha" moments, so many inspirations and it just gets deeper and deeper.



    I think comparative study brings a wealth of depth to understanding the unlimited glories and wisdom of Gita, there is something there for everyone.

    I like one story, I forget the source. Please forgive any errors but the message I hope will resonate.




    Once there was a Brahmin in South India who used to read Bhagavad Gita upside down, he always had a tear in his eye and was constantly crying whenever he touched Gita , even though he read Gita upside down.

    The other Brahmins teased him as being foolish and Sri Chaitanya Maha Prabhu went to this Brahmin and asked why He reads Bhagavad Gita upside down and was crying.

    The Brahmin replied that his Guru had instructed him to read Gita, but he was illiterate and could not read.

    So why is it that you cry every time that you are reading Gita. Maha Prabhu gently asked him.

    He replied, when ever I see Lord Sri Krsna The Supreme Lord being the humble servant of his Devotee Arjuna and driving His chariot, my heart swells up and tears flow from my eyes in such wonder of how merciful Sri Bhagavan Krsna is.

    Sr Chaitanya Maha Prabhu embraced this poor illiterate Brahmin in his arms and declared that he truly understood the message of Gita.

    I think this story is very touching.

    Ys

    Md

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    Re: Best Gita version

    Quote Originally Posted by Viraja View Post
    May I know who are those "modern philosophers and gurus" and why is it that one must avoid them, what is it that you found 'wrong' in their giving?

    Also, is it wrong for someone to be a 'philosopher' or a 'guru' if the times are 'modern'?? You sound as if someone is wrong just because they belong to modern times. For your information, the modern times, i.e. the past 100 yrs are much, much better when coming to some social evils such as caste-ism, even when compared to the times of sant Jnaneshwar. So I would say, if 'modern times' alone are a determining factor to decide who is 'good' and who is 'bad', then using this 1 parameter alone, I would say a 'modern day' philosopher or guru is better than Jnaneshwar, as he/she has got better influences from the society.
    Hello..

    Try to respect vaishnawa sant. Say 'Sant Dnyaneshwar'

    Regards
    Last edited by hinduism♥krishna; 05 November 2014 at 11:07 PM.
    Hari On!

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    Re: Best Gita version

    Quote Originally Posted by kamaferro View Post
    thanks what about Sivananda, or Swami Chidbhavananda. or The Song of God by Swami Prabhavananda. ? I don't want something complicate to understand I am just starting. Thanks
    Hello..

    Yeah, they're also good. But my recommendation is Dnyaneshwari- BhavarthA DeepikA' by Bhagavan Dnyaneshwar, who wrote it at the age of 16.

    It's not complicated at all. It's full of nectar of Bhakti and vedanta in simple language. His intention itself was to teach gita to common masses.

    Bhagavad Gita supports Advaita Vedanta. This can be concluded from Yoga vashishtha ramayana in which VashishthA explains Lord Rama, what shri Krishna, avatara of Vishnu, will teach ArjunA at the Kurukshetra.

    Once you read GitA, you should read Uddhava GitA- last advaitic discourse of Krishna. No doubt, thereafter, you would have nothing left to know more.

    Thank You
    Last edited by hinduism♥krishna; 05 November 2014 at 09:45 PM.
    Hari On!

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