The Bhagavad Gita

by Ramananda Prasad, Sanjay Prasad (Editor), Harry Bhalla (Preface)

This edition of the Gita has our popular, Absolutely FREE,
paperback pocket editions (Blue and Silver books) in text and
audio, without Sanskrit verses and commentaries. With
Introduction and 12 illustrations, A Lucid English Rendition
of all 700 verses as well as simpler 400 selected verses by
Harry Bhalla for the beginners, Paragraph Headings, Guide
for Beginners and Daily Reading, A very good place to start
the study of The Bhagavad Gita.

117 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 28, 2014

About the author

Dr. Prasad, a 1959 Engineering graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur, India, obtained his M.S. degree from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois. He has his roots in Bihar (India) near Bodh Gaya. He has worked in research, teaching, several Consulting Engineering firms, as well as State and Federal Governments in the U.S.A. He worked as a supervisor at the Western Division of the U.S. Navy before his retirement in year 2000. He is also a professor of Civil Engineering at the San Jose State University and an adjunct professor of Religion and Psychology at the Graduate College of the Union Institute of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has published several papers in the Journals of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Prasad wishes to acknowledge the immeasurable contributions made to his spiritual life by his gurus under whose guidance he had an opportunity and privilege to start the study of the Gita, and KriyaYoga. They are: Swami Prabhupada, Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Dayananda Sarasvati of Rishikesh, Swami Harihar, and Paramahamsa Hariharanandaji.

Dr. Prasad is the founding member of several non-profit organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area such as the Vedic Dharma Samaj that now runs the Fremont Hindu temple, Ramayan Sabha, and the Universal Yoga Center of San Francisco. He founded the International Gita Society in 1984 whose aim is to serve the humanity through the teachings of the Bhagwad Geeta and other scriptures, and to establish harmony between all cultures, races, religions, and faith of the world through the immortal teachings of all great masters, and major scriptures. His English translation "The Bhagwad Geeta (The Sacred Song)", now in its Fourth Edition, has been translated in the following languages: Hindi, Dutch, French, Portuguese, and Spanish and is available free on the internet. He is helped by his wife Sadhana Prasad, a great devotee of Lord Shiva. He has one daughter, Mrs. Reeta Raina, married to Dr. Abhinav Raina, M.D.; and one son, Sanjay Prasad who directs the activities of the IGS and plans to become a Doctor of Dentistry.

Dr. Prasad retired in March 2000 to devote full-time propagating the message of Gita with the help and cooperation of like minded persons and organizations.

Reviews

[Kevin (Omkara) Glynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crystal clear translation that puts the story and the teachings into one fluid continous reading. Very readable. Highly recommended!

I feel that this type of text, along with Swami Sivananda Saraswati's "Gita for Busy People", give the foundation needed to be able to dive into a comprehensive commentary expounding each verse. Without such a foundation, the beginner can get distracted by what they don't know: what is happening gets clouded as the story moves to slowly and the backstory is not known by many who have not learned the Mahabharata.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read The Bhagavad-Gita, Abbreviated, (little blue pocket book supplied by gita4free.com picked up at a second hand book store) as supplemental reading to The World's Religions by Huston Smith. It was 50-some pages and and easy read. The last page gave 3 bullet points that summed up the entire thing. Needed to read for my own peace of mind as I knew nothing about this text, but maybe the full text would supply more for me.

[Ankit Kapoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the Hindi edition of Bhagwad Gita by The International Gita Society. I would say that for a beginner, studying this book will definitely lay a solid foundation in future Gita Studies.

[Balázs · Rating 1 out of 5]

According to my knowledge, the Gita was the favorite book of Robert Oppenheimer. I tried really hard to get something out of this book, but I have failed.