A Gita you can finally get you teeth into!November 13, 2001 12 out of 14 found this review helpful
I have always had a passion for the Gita, more commonly known as the Song of God, with the deity Krishna telling his friend Arjuna why he should go into battle against people who were once his friends, as well as his family. It is a poem of devotion and love but it is a complex poem that touches philosophy, and it's not your run of the mill philosophy either. The Gita is not the easiest book in the world to understand, especially when translated from Sanskrit into English, it seems to loose something and up until now I have not been able to put my finger on what that "loss" was. Reading Jack Hawley's translation I can now see where other translators have gone wrong (for me personally). They have been quite LITERAL in their translation of the Gita and in being so literal have lost the passion that is the telling of the Gita. Jack has managed to put that passion into his translation and I cannot thank him enough. He has switched a light on inside my head and now I don't have to phone my father every five minutes shouting "Baba, what does this part of the Gita mean????" Not only that but this version of the Gita is so easy to read, with a good bibliography and index at the back for reference, plus some interesting musings from the author in the introduction and afterword. It is also a fairly compact book, which makes it easy to carry around, a bonus in my opinion, especially as most Gita's I have come across are bulky and very heavy. We could do with this translation being available in the United Kingdom; it would make life for the younger Hindus like myself so much easier.
A long awaited giftNovember 7, 2001 4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have tried to read the Bhagavad Gita many times over the years. After all, it is one of the greatest scriptures ever written. The problem has always been that the translations were difficult for me to read or understand. This is the gift Jack Hawley, and his wife Louise, have given us. A translation by a Westerner for Westerners. My husband and I have already read it several times and we look forward to rereading it many times over the coming years. Whether you have read the Gita before or want to read this timeless, magnificent "love song" for the first time, this "Walkthrough for Westerns" is a perfect choice. Jack has captured the true spirit of the Gita while translating the ancient, sacred text with a scholar's eye to detail and devotee's sense of Divinity. I wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful book.
The best book on Bhagawad GitaSeptember 14, 2001 2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have studied quite a few versions of Bhagawad Gita and I find this book the best for modern age. It is accessible, readable and above all authentic. It contains the essence of the Gita with graceful flow and coherence. It is one of my few classics. I can't help but see Jack Hawley as modern " Vyasa".
Knowing thyselfSeptember 1, 2001 5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Like my favorite collection of Eastern wisdom, "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life" by Taro Gold, this translation of the Bhagavad Gita is less about Eastern philosophy and more about the struggle within to 'know thyself'. The war spoken about in this book is the war that we all can relate to, the dualities, the fears, the skepticism and then realization of the incomprehensible. The beauty in the Bhagavad Gita resembles the poetry of life, calm but forceful, stern while also sympathetic and compassionate. This book doesn't question beliefs, but it somehow insures that there is a belief, and offers different perceptions toward our own personal outlooks.
Now everyone can enjoy reading the Bhagavad GitaJuly 6, 2001 5 out of 7 found this review helpful
Jack Hawley has done a yeoman's job in translating this gem of Hindu scripture into readable English. Now everyone can enjoy reading about Arjuna's quandaries and Shiva's resolutions. More importantly, perhaps, Hawley's work enables students, theologians, and philosophers to more easily compare Hindu philosophy with Christian theology. His translation clearly sets forth the essentials of Hindu philosophy and how it compares favorably and unfavorably with Indian Christian philosophy. I wish I had had this trasnaltion when I was laboring with my dissertation. An interested reader can complete an initial reading of this translation in two hours.
