Amazon.com Review On the list of the greatest spiritual books of all time, the Bhagavad Gita resides permanently in the top echelon. This poem of patently Indian genius sprouted an immense tree of devotional, artistic, and philosophical elaboration in the subcontinent. The scene is a battlefield with the prince Arjuna pitted against his own family, but no sooner does the poem begin than the action reverts inward. Krishna, Arjuna's avatar and spiritual guide, points the way to the supreme wisdom and perfect freedom that lie within everyone's reach. Worship and be faithful, meditate and know reality--these make up the secret of life and lead eventually to the realization that the self is the root of the world. In this titular translation, Stephen Mitchell's rhythms are faultless, making music of this ancient "Song of the Blessed One." Savor his rendition, but nibble around the edges of his introduction. In a bizarre mixture of praise and condescension, Mitchell disregards two millennia of Indian commentary, seeking illumination on the text from Daoism and Zen, with the Gita coming up just shy of full spiritual merit. Perhaps we should take it from Gandhi, who used the Gita as a handbook for life, that it nourishes on many levels. --Brian Bruya
Product Description
Prince Arjuna faces a dilemma that troubles many people sooner or later — whether to take action that is necessary but morally ambiguous. The difference is that Arjuna’s action is to wage war against his own family. With the armies arrayed, Arjuna loses his nerve. Krishna, his charioteer and incarnation of divine consciousness, begins to teach him about the nature of God and of himself. Arjuna learns that he can attain liberation through union with God, and that there are several possible paths to this goal. This most famous and revered of Hindu scriptures tells the timeless story of the paths of knowledge, devotion, action, and meditation. Stephen Mitchell’s acclaimed translation, read by him for the first time, brings this ancient story to life and shows how it became the seed for all the Hindu systems of philosophy and religion that followed.
Mitchell's Gita - Best TranslationDecember 21, 2008 I've read a few Bhagavad Gita's but this one seems to be the best translation.
Cogent, succint, elegant.
Can't go wrong here.
This is a must buy for anyone interested in Yoga or the Gita.
New Speculations on Bhagavad GitaAugust 28, 2008 This one is a total waste of time and money. He is on the same track as Capra in twisting interpretations to what he agrees with and what he wants it to be, not what it is. I wonder why all these mundane philosophers play with their own karma downplaying the "Song of the Lord" to fit their own speculations and hallucinations. Not recommended like at all.
Beautifully written, but a somewhat flawed translationAugust 28, 2008 I give this book two and a half stars for it reads well, but unfortunately it is not always accurate in places. It is not even a question of a debatable translation due to the difficulties of Sanskrit, it is more serious: Steven Mitchell every now and then deliberately omits whole sentences, phrases or words (apparently due to his desire to have his translation flow in four line verses) and this sometimes significantly changes the intended meaning of the verse. I also noticed at least one instance of moving a line from the end of a prior verse onto the beginning of the next verse (10.33 / 10.34.)
Example: in 6.36 (page 95) on Sankhya-yoga he renders the verse, where Krsna is replying to Arjuna, as follows:
"Yoga is indeed hard for those who lack self-restraint; but if you keep striving earnestly, in the right way, you can reach it."
He has left out a crucial sentence in the verse, namely the additional sentence [Sanskrit: "me matih"] spoken by Krsna (lit. The Blessed Lord):
"In my opinion" or "[This is] my opinion."
Now at first glance it may not seem like much to leave this sentence out, but in truth the sentence is significant as two verses earlier Arjuna says: it seems to me that restraining the mind is as difficult as mastering the wind. The implication is that Arjuna is saying restraining the mind can't be done. So Krsna is gently correcting Arjuna by saying "In my opinion". Krsna is making sure that Arjuna's statement is understood to be an opinion by saying his [Krsna's] own statement is also an opinion. Of course, Krsna's opinion is authoritative, but by this "In my opinion" we see how Krsna corrects Arjuna in a very gentle and respectful way.
Another view is that Krsna is validating Arjuna, as Arjuna saying "it seems to me" could be viewed as Arjuna is just giving his opinion and so Krsna speaks in a similar manner which shows the intimacy of their friendship.
Further, there may be the following meaning as well. There is a tradition in Hinduism that believes whatever pure devotees say must come true as they are so pure they can't tell an untruth. So Krsna manages to "change" Arjuna's statement into an opinion and hence is possibly preventing Arjuna from telling an untruth.
Either way the omitted sentence is significant, while its presence may be subtle, it should not have been left out, especially as this work is considered a translation.
In my opinion, Steven Mitchell, by his omissions along with other errors in translation significantly alters the meaning of the Bhagavad Gita here and there, and thus his book can't be seriously considered an accurate translation, but rather a translation biased by personal interpretation and his desire to have his translation flow in four line verses. Nothing wrong with this, but it would be more accurate if the title of his book made it clear what the reader was getting.
Finally, the commentary is limited and not very deep. (In my opinion.) However, his knowledge of Zen comes through as he sometimes compares passages of the Bhagavad Gita with sayings of Zen masters in his commentary/notes.
Meditation literatureMay 20, 2008 FANTASTIC!!!!! This is a great translation. It m akes the Gita accessible. This is great to read and explore. The translation is beautiful. It's a great reprensentation of the Gita's complex meaning while not getting lost in never ending sentences. Beautifull work.
***Excellent Book Finally***May 17, 2008 I read many many translations of the Bhagvad Gita including the one written by Mahatma Gandhi. I found almost all of these books poorly explained, confusing and lacking in clarity.
How ever this translation is by far the best and most clearly and easily understandable version I have ever read. It is in one word a - beautiful - interpretation of the Bhagvad Gita and would highly recommend it to ALL, especially to folks with non-hindu back grounds.
