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The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda, as Remembered by His Disciple, Swami Kriyananda
Rarely in a Lifetime Does a New Spiritual Classic Appear that has the power to change people's lives and transform future generations. This is such a book. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda shares the profound insights of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, as remembered by one of his few remaining direct disciples, Sw...more
Hardcover, 648 pages
Published
June 7th 2006
by Crystal Clarity Publishers
(first published January 1st 1955)
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Oct 29, 2009
Ryan
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It seems that every different translation of the Gita approaches commentary from a specific religious interpretation. The commentator usually isn't up-front about what sect they're trying to indoctrinate you into, and they usually don't tell you that this is just one of several interpretations, instead implicitly presenting theirs as the "authoritative" version.
The commentary here is useful, and mostly emphasizes the "Gita as metaphor for internal struggle toward purification" angle. It certainl...more
The commentary here is useful, and mostly emphasizes the "Gita as metaphor for internal struggle toward purification" angle. It certainl...more
this is a commentary from the vedantic perspective on the bhagavad gita, which is a devotional accounting of the mahabarata, the great war of indian myth/legend between arjuna's family. the gita focuses on krishna's advice to arjuna as he shies back from wanting to kill any soldiers of the wicked army, all of whom are also his kin. this commentary treats the battle as an allegory for the spiritual struggle of the soul on the path of yoga, relating the forces on both sides to the psychological me...more
This is a beautiful and thought provoking book. I have been reading approximately 10 pages a day since I bought it in mid-January. I was killing time in a book store on a morning when I had a Dr's. appointment. I wasn't planning to be anything. Yet, this book called to me, held my attention, I vacillated for a while because I really didn't want to spend any money and I didn't want to add another book to my stack of books I am reading or trying to get to. Yet, I kept returning to it. I enjoyed th...more
This is my favorite book by Swami Kriyananda. I believe it is his masterpiece. He does an absolutely superb job of explaining the Hindu "Bible", the Bhagavad Gita, as he learned at the feet of the great avatar, Paramhansa Yogananda. More importantly, he applies those lessons to daily life, making the book very practical and potentially life changing. This is a long book without seeming long. It was a very easy and quick read for me. I couldn't put it down. I recommend it for anyone seeking truth...more
I did not like this Gita translation at all. I felt that many of my own personal favourite verses have been totally changed due to their metaphorical interpretation to fit the Kriya Yoga bill.
Having read translations such as Arnold's, Prabhupad's, Srila Sridhar Maharaj's, and Eknath Easwaran's, I have to say that this Gita translation did not fulfill me one bit. The the middle of reading the translation, I donated it to a local used book store.
Having read translations such as Arnold's, Prabhupad's, Srila Sridhar Maharaj's, and Eknath Easwaran's, I have to say that this Gita translation did not fulfill me one bit. The the middle of reading the translation, I donated it to a local used book store.
I liked this the first time around, but I'm going to have to re-read this since I read it with a friend over the phone, and finished it on my own, not quite grasping every single concept. I know it's the "essence" of the Gita, but I'm going to compare this to Easwaran's edition. I get the gist of the book's teachings, but I want to see why they were interpreted this way by Paramhansa Yogananda.
This book goes with me on all my travels! Explains wisdom of the Gita as it applies to today's world. And, gives comparisons and explanations in/of the Bible. An excellent book and, easy to understand. The stanzas are given and then explained. A must read.. Try a book study.
Way too convoluted and difficult to follow - clearly shows it wasn't written by Yogananda himself.
Jun 26, 2012
Jamie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
contaplative,
meditative-type
Inspiring and very interesting writing style,
A must read
Gives insight in to this core of the Hindu faith from the perspective of a Western devotee. He brings to bear many comparisons to Christianity to help the Western reader's understanding.
This is a good, readable, authoritative, English commentary on the 7,000 yr. old text, written by a Hindu yogi. It has many similarities to the LDS and other Christian teachings.
May 13, 2013
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Dec 03, 2010 07:59pm