A DIVINE-INSPIRED SCRIPTUREJuly 6, 2000 15 out of 16 found this review helpful
No spiritual aspirant or student of comparitive religion should be without this. Paramahansa Yogananda's brilliant commentary on the Bhagavad Gita is the most profound, lucid and insightful translations ever written in English. In the numerous cross references to the Holy Bible, he seals the gap between the Eastern and Western spiritual traditions seamlessly. It must be the bible that Jesus Christ never wrote!
Drawing the ocean out of a potJune 30, 2000 9 out of 10 found this review helpful
The Hindi saying "Gagar mein Sagar," or The Ocean in a Pot, is particularly applicable to the Bhagavad Gita. The Gita must surely be one of the shortest scriptures in the world -- it has only 700 two-line verses. Yet in those 700 verses lies an unlimited wealth of wisdom. However, most people only see a pot of water, some sense there is more to it, but it takes a person of realization to draw out the ocean from the pot. The Gita has been debated down the centuries in India, and in the West since the first European language translations appeared in the 18th century. However, scholars and theologians who only analyze it with the intellect have often been baffled with the text. For instance, some verses of the Gita's later chapters sometimes apparently contradict what was said earlier. When a saint or a sage comments on the Gita, it is a different story. There is no contradiction; obscure lines are explained with a simplicity that is brilliant.
Many sages such as Adi Shankaracharya have left us their commentaries, and now the grand tradition is kept up by the scintillating commentary of Paramahansa Yogananda, one of the spiritual giants of the 20th century. With deep perception, Yogananda explains how the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna that occurred on a battlefield in a bygone millennium is as relevant in the here and now to you and me as it was to people way back then. The ancient warriors are an allegory to the battle of life -- that tug-of-war in our bodies, minds and souls with different forces pulling us in different directions. It shows how the Gita is a blueprint for emerging victorious. The numerous cross-references to the Holy Bible underline the contention that truth is, in essence, one -- the various religions just state it differently. This is surely one of the greatest commentaries ever written on the Bhagavad Gita; it is a book for the ages.
"A NEW SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN BORN"June 22, 2000 5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I am still reading this book at the present moment and can only say that I have been amazed at the wonderful truths that have been exposed to me in this wonderful book. There are no words that I have that can possibly justify the greatness of this book, so therefore I place before you what Paramhansa Yogananda said about this book in His own words:
"A new scripture has been born! Millions will find God through this book. Not just thousands. Millions! I KNOW. I have SEEN it."
Eternal ClassicDecember 17, 1999 24 out of 25 found this review helpful
Very rarely does a book of such breathtaking depth and significance come along. If you buy one book to help you find REAL answers on the spiritual path, let it be this one. Yogananda's "God Talks With Arjuna" is destined to be a classic, not merely for one or two or a dozen generations, but for centuries. I am certain it will prove to be one of the greatest books of history.
A Humbled Reader from East Quogue, L.I., New YorkDecember 5, 1999 26 out of 27 found this review helpful
After reading "Autobiography of a Yogi", "The Holy Science" and other Self-Realization Fellowship books and pamphlets, I thought I was given the "complete" treasure-trove of The Truth. Wrong! "God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita" is the most detailed and truthful book on creation, life and "death" that I have ever read! It strikes a solid chord within and doesn't let go! Not only that, but it seems to "coincidentally" answer questions that just happen to present themselves in my daily life at just the right moment. It is not an easy read, but in the words of the Great Illumined Master Yogananda, "...the charcoal does not burn red by itself". Don't waste another second--read it now!
