Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is

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Original front cover. Copyright BBT
Original front cover. Copyright BBT

Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is is a translation and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita by A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). It is known amongst other translations of the Bhagavad Gita for its strong emphasis on the path of bhakti yoga above all others in line with the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The book has been widely distributed, largely through promotion by the modern Hare Krishna movement and was published by Macmillan Publishers, in 1968 with unabridged edition in 1972,[1][2][3] and is now available in over sixty languages around the world.[4][5]

Contents

[edit] Contents

Arjuna and Krishna as depicted on the 1980s cover of Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is
Arjuna and Krishna as depicted on the 1980s cover of Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is

For each verse, the book (in complete editions) includes the original devanagari script, a Roman transliteration, word-for-word Sanskrit-English meanings, and English translation. An extensive commentary by Prabhupada is given throughout, based on various Gaudiya Vaishnava works including: Ramanuja Bhasya (in Sanskrit); Sarartha-varsini-tika (Sanskrit) by Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura; Gita-bhusana-tika (Sanskrit) by Baladeva Vidyabhushana; and Bhaktivinode Thakur's Bengali commentaries.

Thus the book advocates the path of bhakti toward Krishna, who is seen as identical to Vishnu, in direct opposition to other monistic interpretations. This has led to criticisms from a number of figures who disagree with Prabhupada's literal approach. Sivarama Swami refutes its criticisms in his book Bhaktivedanta Purports: Perfect Explanation of the Bhagavad-Gita, ISBN 1-887089-12-8, Torchlight, 1998.

It is written in the tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and the members of ISKCON consider the book authoritative and literally true (mukhya-vrtti). Like the majority of Hindu organisations[citation needed] ISKCON regards the Bhagavad Gita as the essence of the Vedic knowledge and the Upanishads.

[edit] Distribution

This translation is probably the one most sold outside India due to the efforts of the conspicuous Hare Krishna devotees on the streets, in airports, and in other public places. The book also enjoys brisk sales within India. It has been published in fifty-four languages, including French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Swedish, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Croatian, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.[5]

[edit] Varnashrama dharma

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Socially, Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is suggests a way of life derived from the Manu Smriti and other books of Hindu religious and social law applied for the contemporary Western world wherein ideal human society is described as being divided into four Varnas (brahmana - intellectuals, kshatriya - administrators, vaishya – merchants, shudra - workers). Within his writings Prabhupada supports the view that one becomes a member of one of the Varnas not by birth but by one's personal qualities (guna) and the type of work (karma) one actually performs (BG 4.13). Society is described as best ruled by a benevolent kshatriya sovereign, who is to govern according to rules set by scriptural tradition and preserved by the brahmana priesthood representing a spiritual leadership. The kshatriya sovereign (like courts in many democratic states) may also order capital punishment.

Brahmanas, elders, women, children and cows are said to be awarded special protection, with animals, especially cows, being preserved from slaughter at all costs. Prabhupada encourages readers to adopt a lacto-vegetarian diet and gives agriculture as the ideal economical basis of society. Ultimately Prabhupada gives the conclusion that society should be "Krishna conscious" -- a society based around devotion (bhakti) to Krishna (God).

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Maheswar Neog Professor Maheswar Neog Felicitation Volume (1990)
  2. ^ Bhaktivedanta Swami, A. C. (1968). The Bhagavad-gita As It Is, first edition. New York: Macmillan.
  3. ^ Rosen, S. The Macmillan Miracle. www.krishna.com. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
  4. ^ Cole & Dwayer 2007, p. 34
  5. ^ a b The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust offers a 2006 summary PDF file showing which books translated in which languages. www.krishna.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.

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