The BHAGAVAD GITA Translated fra the Sasi, with owes, Commas, ant Trtroduction by SWAMI NICHILANANDA RAMAKRISHS §-VIVBKAISEUPANEENTER, ‘THE DiiAGAFAD GiTA Capp rg By Ses RFs AB ln i his barred. Mo tnt ofthe nc ay center tn any eno tt ee ermine nl ee rg gain nin Seow! ele end voto, Bet ifemanon eee Fieont Nitlenn, Rawrtge? tent Cor tin ry Ben ot tia, eo Yate 3b, Ko Vo Be ‘Roscteclna Baty, D2. dir Mat, Dik Hewat, Bega nia Pri in fe Cd toe of menea By The Mattos Crfemes, Pe FOREWORD No translation of Plato is definitives na translation of the Tao Teh King; no translation of the Bhagavad e more searching and impressive « wark, the is impussible to convey, i any ane versio another tongue, its foll meaning. Fer that reason, the gront classics of meditation require ever new transi Hons, and exck one adds a facct to the total sense. A new transletian is always suiiciently formidable x cask te deter anyone Incking in devotion, especially if he is farnilige with the labors of bis predeccssuss. A now translation of a great work, by a competent scholar, thereloce to be received with gratitcde, Te js espectally to be welcomed if he has avotded, ex I thick Swami Nikbitananda has avoided, the warping of new trans InGons by old: where a provious Leaustator lias hit upon a bapay expression, a tater translator is often constrained to avoid that expression, to seck the dif. ferent solely for the sake of difering. The translation here given acems fo mle to be nataral and direct, eon vveying the sence in admirably idiomatic English. At as been aa hesitation shout sing 2 few Sanskrit termn wich ax harmay jogs, maya, essentially untranslatable, whose meaning ie reader read’ly acquires, Xo one who desires to grasp the spicit of religious aspiration of Tudia can alford to remain wnacquainted swith this, The Lord's Song.” Ie '5, ina sense, the New Testament of Hiadnism. It had an impottonc mnestage ta x peaple whore religions ideal tended to tue euntemplative and mystical, who bad the genius to reveal to the world that ulsimate goal for Ciought and reverence sometimes called "The Absolute,” th One yeithaue «second. Its message was dhe meaning, of action, she juniication even of wanfnre in the lsh ‘of union vith the Ulionate. Teis therefore the direct answer ca those who iden- fy the Fadi apie with that sort of myticiem which Javolves retrest from the world of alli, [ts position, as that one of the ‘world's cusses most intima enon by s0 many millions, assurance tha its temper 5 indicative af che inner quality of modera India, This Fact lends a spocial interest to che commentary ‘whieh accompanies the text, Ht is an adaptation from the euended commentary of Suukarachiiya, che area ‘st exponent of te Vedinta system of philosophy its ‘eitly monistic form. Taste can be no doubt sbost the rolundity of Senkaca's work, its great philosophical portance, aed Sts permanent message to a ard tempted to the dstzautions of plesaisie, Ea wy per sonal judpment, Sankara missed the pesuliar message of the Bhagavad Gilt above referred to: his eoroments tempt 10 bring the Gia bece £0 the cupremacy of ‘meditation over cetion as the concition of union with God. {p. 02) To selolars, this tug between difering polats of view will add a spice of historical piquaney te the work. To the avernge rene, the efect of the dilfereace may be voahing: Many of these commence, roreovse, directed us they arc :0 an Tadia of the sinth century of our ere, mury appear ether uprocescary oF ‘useiglteniag ea the saan of rydry, Tf 90, fet Kim ene fides tbat the service 1a American scholarship ia pres soning Sankasa's view ofthe Gtk in such to the text wil surely justify a hole a easly take: May this majestic puem find its ray inta ie oun literary Griaulbkip oF many readers, and concibots to the sense of spsioal Kine wich the itost gifved people of Asia, xkin tous bork in blood aad in language. Williasn Exnest Hocking PREFACE ‘The aim of this new translation of the Bhagavad Gi is to presene the book to the English-speaking public of the Westen world as a manuel of Hindu religion and philosophy. To acbieve that purpose, notes ad explanations have heen added to the text, and the comexion of thaught between the verscs has bon shown, wherever that seemed necessary. The oxplana- tions follow, iw the main, the commentary on the Cith Uy Sankariuiuya, Abstiuse aud tevbnicet portions of fe comaentary hve been arnitred 2s oF no particular interest to most readers of the hook “There has also heen inecuded the story of, the Mahabharate, which will aegeaint the student of the Giti_with its’ backgtound snd with the character, of Sci Krishne. The bewilderment many sturlents feel at the choles of a battlosicid for the unfolding of = scheme of the Highest Good end Uberation will, it is hoped, be removell by a perusal of the story. Ta the Tatreduetion the transiacor has smede am attempt to explsin sore of es philosophical concepts fof the Girg, such as the meaning af dry, ius place in the moulding of the syiritual Tife, and the meaning of ection and zetianlessness from the reletive and the bsofure table sill belp Occidental students in the pronunciation of wofamciliar Sanskrit words, The glossaey will cnable them fo understand the meaning of Senzhrit expressions Je in the text and notes for went of equivalents in English. Ie ie hoped chat they will simplify the problems faced by Westerners in steds- ing the Bhagavad Git ‘There are in existence reaoy Buplich iranslasions of the Bhagavad GIie, Tho present translator has prof itably conyulted two uf those, one by TD. §, Sarena and the other by A. Mahadeva Sastsi. In addition, he bias looked into Besuyy on the Gita hy Sri Aurobindo. ‘The works of Margaret E. Noble (Sister Nivedita) sd Dr. Anand: Conmaraswemy have proved useful ia the writing of the story of the Mulabharase, He bias also received invaluable belp from Mr. Denver Lindley. and Mx. Joseph Campbell, who revised the manuscript. It ig a zeal plensnee to acknowledge the sranclacor’s indebtedacis £0 thea all. Humanity is now pussing through « eritical stage of Leunsition, Macy breaches uf plysical science, peycholegy, sociology, aud huznatism are placing every doy at our disposal a wealth of facts of which hitherto we have been uueware, Tasy need cvl'ation and synchesia in order fo be uisful to the Sige af the ix vvidual and suciery, ‘There is alsa the primal antithess Letween this wacld and the other world, becween secu far ceries end spiriqua} valnna, Mea are confused and Bieture Ife a3 fall of shreds and patches. But they feel a profound necd of secing Ife a8 x seamless garment. "To those who sinesraly seek, the Bhagavad Gita say foc a means of coardinating these apparcetly conera- dictory facts Nikhitananda New York November & 1943 CONTENTS! Foreword 0 Profere . cect Note 4 Brantncition sess ccssssecuseee * acti of Chapters oss oe — Iatredeiton seenvserseeon soos eed Pe Story ef the MaidDbirsta sas sceses soon 2 Ieteoduction by Renkordirga I Mesituivn 53 1. Asjuna's Grit 2 The Way of Ultimate Realy 3. be Way of con 4 The Woy of Knewdedge 5. The Way of Remaditon & The Way af Matiation & 7 The Way uf Reslzaion ‘The Way 19 the Teerishabte Brain 8, The Wag of the Soversgn Wialam and 1, The Dine Maniteneone ML The Visioa of the Univers! Form 12, he War ef Line Love a 18 Tae Dieedainaton berween Meter and Spink 14 The Diseiinason of the ‘Three Gages «cesses 1S ‘The Way (she Supreae Sef... 16. "Lhe Divtan of Divine and Desonise Tvesenree 12, Tae Theetolé Division of Bai 18, Te War tn Libertion though Reswtoo werign yerny Giures Inder 24m Ge origigal every chapter oF she Res sage, ce aye union HA Go NOTE ON THE PRONUNCIATION OF SANSERIT WORDS Das the sou of» soe he few of 0S in be teh fe re by ema of ‘ogensinced den in the thost in shoes Ted in i, *b map be pronpazel se in Bee, and 4 aoe alt tia Fase. (ae th souod of fob bother akee coutanante agjusing fm Eas tranliterations may be p10 ound 38 fn Eagla, * nina i pronase a at