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Bhagavad Gita: The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Guide
A new translation and study guide.
Bhagavad Gita – India's best-known gift to philosophy – is a conversation between the warrior-prince Arjuna and his friend and guide, Krishna.
We find Arjuna disconsolate and unwilling to wage war against his own family members. He turns to Krishna, who "With a slight smile spoke these words to the lamenting Arjuna..." (Bhagavad Gita 2.10)
Krishna's reply goes far beyond Arjuna's initial concern, developing into a thorough discussion of belief and practice that has had an immeasurable influence on the formation of religious doctrines througout Asia and the West. Matter and spirit, work, God and the soul, time – all these and more are clearly and carefully explained in a relatively brief space of 700 verses over 18 chapters.
Dr Sutton's Bhagavad Gita is a core text of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies highly successful Continuing Education Department.
It is a new translation of the full text and it brings a thematic approach to the work as well as a discussion of the principal ideas presented in each chapter. It examines the text from the viewpoint of a number of schools of thought giving the broadest possible understanding of how the Bhagavad Gita has influenced Indian thought and practice and examines its relevance to the modern world.
Dr Sutton has given us an accessible Gita without sacrificing any of its profound wisdom.
This edition of the Bhagavad Gita has been refined over more than a dozen years teaching and is ideal for students of Indian thought as well as non-specialists.
A work of depth and clarity, Dr Sutton’s Gita translation and commentary is an essential addition to any thoughtful person’s library.
Bhagavad Gita – India's best-known gift to philosophy – is a conversation between the warrior-prince Arjuna and his friend and guide, Krishna.
We find Arjuna disconsolate and unwilling to wage war against his own family members. He turns to Krishna, who "With a slight smile spoke these words to the lamenting Arjuna..." (Bhagavad Gita 2.10)
Krishna's reply goes far beyond Arjuna's initial concern, developing into a thorough discussion of belief and practice that has had an immeasurable influence on the formation of religious doctrines througout Asia and the West. Matter and spirit, work, God and the soul, time – all these and more are clearly and carefully explained in a relatively brief space of 700 verses over 18 chapters.
Dr Sutton's Bhagavad Gita is a core text of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies highly successful Continuing Education Department.
It is a new translation of the full text and it brings a thematic approach to the work as well as a discussion of the principal ideas presented in each chapter. It examines the text from the viewpoint of a number of schools of thought giving the broadest possible understanding of how the Bhagavad Gita has influenced Indian thought and practice and examines its relevance to the modern world.
Dr Sutton has given us an accessible Gita without sacrificing any of its profound wisdom.
This edition of the Bhagavad Gita has been refined over more than a dozen years teaching and is ideal for students of Indian thought as well as non-specialists.
A work of depth and clarity, Dr Sutton’s Gita translation and commentary is an essential addition to any thoughtful person’s library.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 21, 2016
The study of religion and religions, both for intellectual learning and for spiritual exploration, has constituted a large part of my mental world for my entire adult life. Now in midlife, I'm starting to reconcile my desire to "land" in a religious home with the fact that said landing is unlikely to happen in a predefined way. I've accepted that it's just fine for me to go where the wind takes me. Every year, I take that "Belief-O-Matic" quiz online (link), and every year, my top two are Neopagan and Unitarian Universalist. So the world is my buffet, and there's no shame in that.
This is my second translation of the Gita, which I picked up because I liked the way it dealt with commentary. No footnotes on this one. Here are four or five verses, and then some commentary, with a summary at the end of each chapter. I don't know Sanskrit, so I don't have the tools to comment on the translation. The commentary includes many references to how certain phrases were translated, however. The commentary also gives nods to different ways certain passages have been interpreted by different schools of thought. This was personally gratifying to me, because it told me that not everyone in the Hindu thinking world thinks that each of us is God. Happily, Nicholas Sutton does not take sides, though he will give his academic opinion regarding which interpretation seems most likely to be the intended one.
I have learned a lot, and will keep this electronic text (which is only available as an e-book). I spent a lot more time than usual on my first read-through. I didn't see a point in rushing it. I read small portions at a time. I also discovered that there is much here that affirms and adds to what I've been observing spiritually on my own.
The previous translation I read was for a course in Indian philosophy. It was Barbara Stoller Miller's The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna's Counsel in the Time of War, which is also very accessible and was perfect for the context of that class.
http://darkmagnet.blogspot.com/
This is my second translation of the Gita, which I picked up because I liked the way it dealt with commentary. No footnotes on this one. Here are four or five verses, and then some commentary, with a summary at the end of each chapter. I don't know Sanskrit, so I don't have the tools to comment on the translation. The commentary includes many references to how certain phrases were translated, however. The commentary also gives nods to different ways certain passages have been interpreted by different schools of thought. This was personally gratifying to me, because it told me that not everyone in the Hindu thinking world thinks that each of us is God. Happily, Nicholas Sutton does not take sides, though he will give his academic opinion regarding which interpretation seems most likely to be the intended one.
I have learned a lot, and will keep this electronic text (which is only available as an e-book). I spent a lot more time than usual on my first read-through. I didn't see a point in rushing it. I read small portions at a time. I also discovered that there is much here that affirms and adds to what I've been observing spiritually on my own.
The previous translation I read was for a course in Indian philosophy. It was Barbara Stoller Miller's The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna's Counsel in the Time of War, which is also very accessible and was perfect for the context of that class.
http://darkmagnet.blogspot.com/
December 26, 2015
As a lover of the Bhagavad Gita, I have many translations and commentaries. This is one translation that I will deeply value and refer to time and again. It is scholarly without being heavy. It is readable without being simplistic. Sutton's knowledge is deep and it is a pleasure to read his balanced and objective translation. He is able to be see the shlokas in context and provides illuminating perspectives while not shying away from some of the difficulties and ambiguities in translation. I will heartily recommend Sutton's translation of the Bhagavad Gita to anyone who wants to understand this great book of Hinduism.
July 20, 2021
This was a great read. I finished it in 4 days. I would say its more of a scholarly, academic understanding of the Bhagavad Gita but it definitely gets down into the explanations of Samkhya, Karma Yoga, Jñana, Karma Khanda, Samkhya, Theistic Samkhya, Monotheism, Bhakti Yoga, Asceticism, Renunciation. It really breaks down everything for the reader, and analyses each chapter in a very succinct manner. A very "scientific" study and break down of the themes expressed in the Bhagavad Gita.
March 8, 2023
I found this version of the Gita to offer the most thorough and clearest explanations on each section of the Gita that I've read to date.
January 27, 2026
Out of all Gitas i've seen ts has the best translations and explanations
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews