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Bhagavad Gita
- GenresSpirituality
Paperback
Published September 15, 2010
34 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Eknath Easwaran
214 books631 followersEknath Easwaran (1910–1999) is the originator of passage meditation and the author of more than 30 books on spiritual living.
Easwaran is a recognized authority on the Indian spiritual classics. His translations of The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, and The Dhammapada are the best-selling editions in the USA, and over 1.5 million copies of his books are in print.
Easwaran was a professor of English literature and well known in India as a writer and speaker before coming to the United States in 1959 on the Fulbright exchange program. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, based in Tomales, California, which continues his work today through publications and retreats.
His 1968 class on the theory and practice of meditation at UC Berkeley is believed to be the first accredited course on meditation at any Western university. For those who seek him as a personal spiritual guide, Easwaran assured us that he lives on through his eight-point program of passage meditation.
"I am with you always”, he said. “It does not require my physical presence; it requires your open heart."
Please visit bmcm.org for a fuller biography.
Easwaran is a recognized authority on the Indian spiritual classics. His translations of The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, and The Dhammapada are the best-selling editions in the USA, and over 1.5 million copies of his books are in print.
Easwaran was a professor of English literature and well known in India as a writer and speaker before coming to the United States in 1959 on the Fulbright exchange program. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, based in Tomales, California, which continues his work today through publications and retreats.
His 1968 class on the theory and practice of meditation at UC Berkeley is believed to be the first accredited course on meditation at any Western university. For those who seek him as a personal spiritual guide, Easwaran assured us that he lives on through his eight-point program of passage meditation.
"I am with you always”, he said. “It does not require my physical presence; it requires your open heart."
Please visit bmcm.org for a fuller biography.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 30, 2025
Aaah ‘ik ben tijd, vernietiger van werelden’
Aaah je moet je familie doden in oorlog, want brahma. Aaah L prkriti, L gunas
W moksha, altijd aan almighty krshna denken, the fruits of my actions? Nee dankje🫡 compleet seneca, + nul genade
Daadwerkelijk erg leuk om te lezen
Aaah je moet je familie doden in oorlog, want brahma. Aaah L prkriti, L gunas
W moksha, altijd aan almighty krshna denken, the fruits of my actions? Nee dankje🫡 compleet seneca, + nul genade
Daadwerkelijk erg leuk om te lezen
August 10, 2020
Bhagavad Gita is full of wisdom worth to study, try and practice.
For western minded person, it might be difficult to read if you mind gets tangled with the Hindu deities names and places. Yet my words of encouragement would be: read on. Overall it's a short book I think it's more spiritual rather than religious nature.
May you struggle well with your dharma.
For western minded person, it might be difficult to read if you mind gets tangled with the Hindu deities names and places. Yet my words of encouragement would be: read on. Overall it's a short book I think it's more spiritual rather than religious nature.
May you struggle well with your dharma.
August 14, 2023
My $.02. Skip the introduction until you have read the meat of this book. It is very long, and much of what it says is already covered in the chapters. At more than 70 pages, the introduction really would be more beneficial as a reading exercise after reading the entire Bhagavad Gita. You can get lost in all of that history behind the introduction and lose interest/momentum, which is exactly what the introduction is hoping to not do. So, skip it, read it last, and you will have had a great time with this book.
Each of the Gita chapters is structured with an insightful introduction by the author/translator (Mr. Easwaran) and then followed by the actual translated text of that section of the Gita. It flows nicely and is very thoughtfully presented. Take it slowly. I spent 2 weeks reading it. Read a chapter and then think about what you have read. If you plow right through, you aren't going to get as much out of the experience of reading this spiritual text. Letting a section-or-two-or-three sit with you for a few hours/days after you read it, is helpful to truly understand what the Bhagavad Gita is trying to say. I have read the Gita before, as translated by Juan Mascaró, also a great translation. I enjoyed the reading of this version better as the structure was more suited to a slow methodic reading.
Also, after watching Oppenheimer, folks may want to read this book to understand what that whole "I am now become death, the destroyer of worlds" quote was all about. I can tell you that this quote is a climax of the Gita, but it is not the only one. There is just so much packed into this book that you will hit numerous high notes emotionally and intellectually and spiritually in your reading. This version has little different translation of this quote from Krishna than you heard in the movie, but I assure you that once you read it, you will agree that the translation by Easwaran in this version is actually better.
Each of the Gita chapters is structured with an insightful introduction by the author/translator (Mr. Easwaran) and then followed by the actual translated text of that section of the Gita. It flows nicely and is very thoughtfully presented. Take it slowly. I spent 2 weeks reading it. Read a chapter and then think about what you have read. If you plow right through, you aren't going to get as much out of the experience of reading this spiritual text. Letting a section-or-two-or-three sit with you for a few hours/days after you read it, is helpful to truly understand what the Bhagavad Gita is trying to say. I have read the Gita before, as translated by Juan Mascaró, also a great translation. I enjoyed the reading of this version better as the structure was more suited to a slow methodic reading.
Also, after watching Oppenheimer, folks may want to read this book to understand what that whole "I am now become death, the destroyer of worlds" quote was all about. I can tell you that this quote is a climax of the Gita, but it is not the only one. There is just so much packed into this book that you will hit numerous high notes emotionally and intellectually and spiritually in your reading. This version has little different translation of this quote from Krishna than you heard in the movie, but I assure you that once you read it, you will agree that the translation by Easwaran in this version is actually better.
April 27, 2020
Great edition and well explained. Will certainly try to read this every day as it is one of the most profound spiritual stories about becoming better and achieving your own purpose without attachment.
August 15, 2022
A marvelous rendition of the Gita and its essence. The book talks about the meaning of self-awareness in daily life and the Karmic theory of cause and effect. A must-read for someone who is exploring consciousness and awareness.
August 6, 2024
Easwaran's chapter introductions and connections to spiritual thinkers, both Eastern and Western, were essential for me in understanding this text.
September 16, 2024
The spoiler is that you might realise your true self 🙂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2025
I liked the translator’s extensive notes and comments about the text
July 12, 2025
similar in morality to aristotle
October 21, 2025
Very good stuff applicable to anyone!!! Great translation and chapter intros.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews