Bhagavad Gita As It Is
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The Bhagavad-Gita As It Is is the 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 is published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
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[edit] Contents
For each verse, the book includes the original devanagari script, a Roman transliteration, word-for-word Sanskrit-English meanings, a translation, and an extensive commentary by Srila Prabhupada 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 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, Persian, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.[1]
[edit] Varnashrama dharma
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Socially, Bhagavad Gita 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
- ^ Krishna.com offers a complete list of languages in which this and other books by the same author are available.
[edit] See also
- A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
- International Society for Krishna Consciousness
- Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
- Hare Krishna
- Gaudiya Vaishnavism
- Krishnology
