not a review,August 21, 2004 13 out of 45 found this review helpful
but a polemic. my apologies for abusing the democratic voting/reviewing process. my lame excuse it that down below mitchell's own editor gives this book 5 stars, and somebody had to counterbalance that. mitchell hasn't just translated/written on the gita, but the german poet rilke, the gospel according to jesus, and the tao te ching (his one book i read, and disliked) etc. reading the reviews of his books you'll see that accessibility it touted by numerous people, but many (seemingly serious and well read) others claim that his loose interpretations miss the mark. you decide for yourself, but as for me, i'm looking forward to his coming releases "dabbling in the qu'ran", "sticking my toe in the Holy See", and the grand finale "Unencumbered by Humility - The Religion of Mitchell: How you too can be smarter than everybody else", available at the great introductory price of just $498. Enjoy!
Excellent audio editionNovember 6, 2003 0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I found the audio edition of this book with a sensitive reading by Stephen Mitchell to be an excellent companion for listening while driving. It is hard to believe you can find inspiration in the midst of a traffic jam but with the tape version of this book it is possible.
A pleasant surpriseSeptember 17, 2003 0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've been reading the Bhagavad Gita for almost 30 years. I compared this translation with several I have at home and was surprise with the quality and how the translator used poetry conveying in a precise manner the meaning of the Gita. Some people complained in other reviews that the "translation cannot be a good one since the translator is not a religious person himself" (how do they know? just because he is not a HareKrishna or other religious group member?). Another reader accused him of trying to make an easy buck with this translation (Have you ever tried to translate the Gita in a poem form? Do you have any idea of the amount of work involved?) I really don't care about it. This book is a good translation and a good poem.
This is a Hindu BookMay 11, 2003 2 out of 82 found this review helpful
This is a book based on a Hindu belief and has alot of love type things in it. This is not recommended unless you are studying this culture.
A beautiful treatment of the GitaJanuary 23, 2003 16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I am mesmerized as I read this book and find within it the common thread that joins all the great holy books of the world. It is beautifully put together and written in such a fashion that it is a pleasure read. I was concerned about another reviewer's comments about this being an "interpretation" rather than a "translation" of the Gita, and so I sat down and compared several chapters of this book to the translation by Sir Edwin Arnold is a more standard treatment of this text. I found that Stephen Mitchell's version was much more readable and understandable, and yet did not take anything away from the authenticity of the actual text. For anyone wishing to take a slightly different path leading to the nearness to God, I highly recommend picking up this book.
