The Bhagavad Gita

by Sivananda Saraswati

The Bhagavadgita is one phase of the Tripod of Indian philosophy and culture, the other two phases being the Upanishads and the Brahmasutras. While the Upanishads lay the foundation of the loftiest reach possible for humanity and the Brahmasutras logically elucidate the intricate issues involved in the Upanishads, the Bhagavadgita blends together the Transcendent and the Immanent features of the Ultimate Reality, bringing together into an integrated whole knowledge and action, the inner and the outer, the individual and the society, man and God, all which are portrayed as facets of a Universal Operation, presenting entire life and all life as a perfectly complete organic wholeness, leaving nothing unsaid and attempting to solve every problem in life.

Genres: Spirituality, Hinduism

576 pages, Paperback

Published October 10, 2010

About the author

Swami Sivananda Saraswati (September 8, 1887—July 14, 1963) was a Hindu spiritual teacher and a well known proponent of Sivananda Yoga and Vedanta. Sivananda was born Kuppuswami in Pattamadai, in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. He studied medicine and served in Malaya as a physician for several years before taking up monasticism. He lived most of the later part of his life near Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh.

He is the founder of The Divine Life Society (1936), Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy (1948) and author of over 200 books on yoga, vedanta and a variety of other subjects. He established Sivananda Ashram, the location of the headquarters of The Divine Life Society (DLS), on the bank of the Ganges at Shivanandanagar, at a distance of 3 kilometres from Rishikesh.

Sivananda Yoga, the yoga form propagated by him, are now spread in many parts of the world through Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, but these centres are not affiliated with Swami Sivananda's original ashrams which are run by the Divine Life Society.

Reviews

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐

GENRE - RELIGION

PAGES - 576

This is not a review but a mere description of my understanding of this holy book. For a long time I wanted to read the Bhagavad Gita and understand Hinduism. This book is an interpretation of Sivanandas of the holy book and like most holy books the interpreter tries to give his understanding of the scriptures with a personal touch.

The book is very well translated in English and gives you a lot of clarity about understanding verses of the gita.

The verses are highly philosophical and just reading it once is not going to give you a clear picture however re reading it will definitely give you a lot of clarity.

For some one new to Hinduism this book version of the Bhagavad Gita is going to be very helpful for it is in easy language however I want to explore other authors as well and understand more in depth also not to forget the Upanishads.

Thank You 🙏🙂❤️

[Pratap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sivananda Saraswati is a guru of gurus....This is on of the best translations of Bhagavad Gita.
English translation of slokas is very accurate.....if you are reading Bhagavad Gita for first time, don't read this book.....this book is not for novice reader on Bhagavad Gita.....

[Jonathan Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swami Sivananda's take on the classic Bhagavad Gita. If you practice Sivananda Yoga, this book is almost a must read, along with "Bliss Devine". As always, individual interpretations of great religious books are always tinted with personal opinion and the interpreter's individual ability to comprehend and explain complex religious ideas. For someone who is new to Hinduism, this is a good guide.

[Prashant gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is above all books.

I am blessed to come across this version. This is not a book but the talking of God to man. Every sholka is still relevant today because a word of Krishna never comes untrue.

I bow to the author for the simplification and translation.

[Dean Paradiso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good translation of a classic text on Indian spirituality. Quite close to the Sanskrit, yet very readable.

[Tracy Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeds the soul!

[Svetlana Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When comments as hard as what being commented. But it was very helpful to read it one more time and see what was missed

[Jeremy Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean, it's The Bhagavad Gita.

[Samadrita]

I am not going to rate the Gita (obviously) but as a work of translation it is pretty good, 4/5.