The Bhagavad Gita (Translated into English prose with an Introduction by Kashinath Trimbak Telang)

By Vyasa

It is estimated that the origins of the “Bhagavad Gita”, a 700 verse Hindu scripture which is part of the larger “Mahabharata” was originally composed as early as the 9th century BC. Ascribed to the Sage Vyasa, the “Bhagavad Gita” is a classic work of Hindu scripture which relates the story of Prince Arjuna who is faced with a decision with serious moral consequence, whether or not to go to war. With the armies arrayed on the battlefield, Arjuna in a moment of hesitation is counseled by Vishnu, the Supreme God, who takes the form of Krishna wearing the disguise of a charioteer. This work along with its larger counterpart the “Mahabharata” has been described as one of the most important works of scripture ever composed. A classic tale of Hindu spirituality, the “Bhagavad Gita” provides great insight into dealing with the morally ambiguous challenges that face us all. This edition has been translated into English prose with an introduction by Kashinath Trimbak Telang.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781420954791

Vyasa

Krishna Dvaipayana  or Vedavyasa, is a revered sage portrayed in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the Mahabharata whose protagonists are the surrogate sons of Pandu, the Kuru king whom he himself fathered 'under Niyoga practice' in place of an elder brother who died heirless, at the behest of his mother Satyavati, while he was the surgeon who put their hundred antogonist cousins into incubation, hence his authorship is by way of biography of his own mortal family. He is also regarded by many Hindus as the compiler of a number of significant scriptures. As a partial incarnation, Amsa Avatar (aṃśa-avatāra) of Vishnu, he is also regarded by tradition as the compiler of the mantras of the Vedas into four Vedas, as well as the author of the eighteen Puranas and the Brahma Sutras. He is one of the seven immortal Chiranjeevis, despite the mortality of his human kin, implying he is still alive in the current Kali yuga.

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THE BHAGAVAD GÎTÂ

By VYASA

Translated by

KÂSHINÂTH TRIMBAK TELANG

The Bhagavad Gîtâ

By Vyasa

Translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5478-4

eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5479-1

This edition copyright © 2017. Digireads.com Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Image: a detail of a 16th-century painting illustrating a battle scene in the Bhagavad Gita by an unknown artist.

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XII

CHAPTER XIII

CHAPTER XIV

CHAPTER XV

CHAPTER XVI

CHAPTER XVII

CHAPTER XVIII

Introduction

It has become quite a literary commonplace, that—to borrow the words of Professor Max Müller in one of his recent lectures—history, in the ordinary sense of the word, is almost unknown in Indian literature{1}. And it is certainly a remarkable irony of fate, that we should be obliged to make this remark on the very threshold of an introduction to the Bhagavad-gîtâ; for according to the eminent French philosopher, Cousin{2}, this great deficiency in Sanskrit literature is due, in no inconsiderable measure, to the doctrines propounded in the Bhagavad-gîtâ itself. But however that may be, this much is certain, that the student of the Bhagavad-gîtâ must, for the present, go without that reliable historical information touching the author of the work, the time at which it was composed, and even the place it occupies in literature, which one naturally desires, when entering upon the study of any work. More especially in an attempt like the present, intended as it mainly is for students of the history of religion, I should have been better pleased, if I could, in this Introduction, have concentrated to a focus, as it were, only those well ascertained historical results, on which there is something like a consensus of opinion among persons qualified to judge. But there is no exaggeration in saying, that it is almost impossible to lay down even a single proposition respecting any important matter connected with the Bhagavad-gîtâ, about which any such consensus can be said to exist. The conclusions arrived at in this Introduction must, therefore, be distinctly understood to embody individual opinions only, and must be taken accordingly for what they are worth.

The full name of the work is Bhagavad-gîtâ. In common parlance, we often abbreviate the name into Gîtâ, and in Sanskrit literature the name occurs in both forms. In the works of Saṅkarâkârya, quotations from the Gîtâ are introduced, sometimes with the words ‘In the Gîtâ,’ or ‘In the Bhagavad-gîtâ,’ and sometimes with words which may be rendered ‘In the Gîtâs,’ the plural form being used{3}. In the colophons to the MSS. of the work, the form current, apparently throughout India, is, ‘In the Upanishads sung (Gîtâs) by the Deity.’ Saṅkarâkârya, indeed, sometimes calls it the Îsvara Gîtâ{4}, which, I believe, is the specific title of a different work altogether. The signification, however, of the two names is identical, namely, the song sung by the Deity, or, as Wilkins translates it, the Divine Lay.

This Divine Lay forms part of the Bhîshma Parvan of the Mahâbhârata—one of the two well-known national epics of India. The Gîtâ gives its name to a subdivision of the Bhîshma Parvan, which is called the Bhagavad-gîtâ Parvan, and which includes, in addition to the eighteen chapters of which the Gîtâ consists, twelve other chapters. Upon this the question has naturally arisen, Is the Gîtâ a genuine portion of the Mahâbhârata, or is it a later addition? The question is one of considerable difficulty. But I cannot help saying, that the manner in which it has been generally dealt with is not altogether satisfactory to my mind. Before going any further into that question, however, it is desirable to state some of the facts on which the decision must be based. It appears, then, that the royal family of Hastinâpura was divided into two branches; the one called the Kauravas, and the other the Pândavas. The former wished to keep the latter out of the share of the kingdom claimed by them; and so, after many attempts at an amicable arrangement had proved fruitless, it was determined to decide the differences between the two parties by the arbitrament of arms. Each party accordingly collected its adherents, and the hostile armies met on the ‘holy field of Kurukshetra,’ I mentioned in the opening lines of our poem. At this juncture, Krishna Dvaipâyana, alias Vyâsa, a relative of both parties and endowed with more than human powers, presents himself before Dhritarâshtra, the father of the Kauravas, who is stated to be altogether blind. Vyâsa asks Dhritarâshtra whether it is his wish to look with his own eyes on the course of the battle; and on Dhritarâshtra’s expressing his reluctance, Vyâsa deputes one Sañgaya to relate to Dhritarâshtra all the events of the battle, giving to Sañgaya, by means of his own superhuman powers, all necessary aids for performing the duty. Then the battle begins, and after a ten days’ struggle, the first great general of the Kauravas, namely Bhîshma, falls{5}. At this point Sañgaya comes up to Dhritarâshtra, and announces to him the sad result, which is of course a great blow to his party. Dhritarâshtra then makes numerous enquiries of Sañgaya regarding the course of the conflict, all of which Sañgaya duly answers. And among his earliest answers is the account of the conversation between Krishna and Arguna at the commencement of the battle, which constitutes the Bhagavad-gîtâ. After relating to Dhritarâshtra that ‘wonderful and holy dialogue,’ and after giving an account of what occurred in the intervals of the conversation, Sañgaya proceeds to narrate the actual events of the battle.

With this rough outline. of the framework of the story before us, we are now in a, position to consider the opposing arguments on the point above noted. Mr. Talboys Wheeler writes on that point as follows{6}. ‘But there remains one other anomalous characteristic of the history of the great war, as it is recorded in the Mahâbhârata, which cannot be passed over in silence; and that is the extraordinary abruptness and infelicity with which Brahmanical discourses, such as essays on law, on morals, sermons on divine things, and even instruction in the so-called sciences are recklessly grafted upon the main narrative.... Krishna and Arguna on the morning of the first day of the war, when both armies are drawn out in battle-array, and hostilities are about to begin, enter into a long and philosophical dialogue respecting the various forms of devotion which lead to the emancipation of the soul; and it cannot be denied that, however incongruous and irrelevant such a dialogue must appear on the eve of battle, the discourse of Krishna, whilst acting as the charioteer of Arguna, contains the essence of the most spiritual phases of Brahmanical teaching, and is expressed in language of such depth and sublimity, that it has become deservedly known as the Bhagavad-gîtâ or Divine Song. . . . Indeed no effort has been spared by the Brahmanical compilers to convert the history of the great war into a vehicle for Brahmanical teaching; and so skilfully are many of these interpolations interwoven with the story, that it is frequently impossible to narrate the one, without referring to the other, however irrelevant the matter may be to the main subject in hand.’ It appears to me, I own, very difficult to accept that as a satisfactory argument, amounting, as it does, to no more than this—that ‘interpolations,’ which must needs be referred to in narrating the main story even to make it intelligible, are nevertheless to be regarded ‘as evidently the product of a Brahmanical age,’ and presumably also a later age, because, forsooth, they are irrelevant and incongruous according to the ‘tastes and ideas{7}’—not of the time, be it remembered, when the ‘main story’ is supposed to have been written, but—of this enlightened nineteenth century. The support, too, which may be supposed to be derived by this argument from the allegation that there has been an attempt to Brahmanize, so to say, the history of the great war, appears to me to be extremely weak, so far as the Gîtâ is concerned. But that is a point which will have to be considered more at large in the sequel{8}.

While, however, I am not prepared to admit the cogency of Mr. Wheeler’s arguments, I am not, on the other hand, to be understood as holding that the Gîtâ must be accepted as a genuine part of the original Mahâbhârata. I own that my feeling on the subject is something akin to that of the great historian of Greece regarding the Homeric question, a feeling of painful diffidence regarding the soundness of any conclusion whatever. While it is impossible not to feel serious doubts about the critical condition of the Mahâbhârata generally; while, indeed, we may be almost certain that the work has been tampered with from time to time{9}; it is difficult to come to a satisfactory conclusion regarding any particular given section of it. And it must be remembered, also, that the alternatives for us to choose from in these cases are not only these two, that the section in question may be a genuine part of the work, or that it may be a later interpolation: but also this, as suggested recently, though not for the first time, by Mr. Freeman{10} with reference to the Homeric question, that the section may have been in existence at the date of the original epos, and may have been worked by the author of the epos into his own production. For that absence of dread, ‘either of the law or sentiment of copyright,’ which Mr. Freeman relies upon with regard to a primitive Greek poet, was by no means confined to the Greek people, but may be traced amongst us also. The commentator Madhusûdana Sarasvatî likens the Gîtâ to those dialogues which occur in sundry Vedic works, particularly the Upanishads{11}. Possibly—I will not use a stronger word—possibly the Gîtâ may have existed as such a dialogue before the Mahâbhârata, and may have been appropriated by the author of the Mahâbhârata to his own purposes{12}. But yet, upon the whole, having regard to the fact that those ideas of unity on which Mr. Wheeler and others set so much store are scarcely appropriate to our old literature; to the fact that the Gîtâ fits pretty well into the setting given to it in the Bhîshma Parvan; to the fact that the feeling of Arguna, which gives occasion to it, is not at all inconsistent, but is most consonant, with poetical justice; to the fact that there is not in the Gîtâ, in my judgment, any trace of a sectarian or ‘Brahmanizing’ spirit{13}, such as Mr. Wheeler and also the late Professor Goldstücker{14} hold to have animated the arrangers of the Mahâbhârata; having regard, I say, to all these facts, I am prepared to adhere, I will not say without diffidence, to the theory of the genuineness of the Bhagavad-gîtâ as a portion of the original Mahâbhârata.

The next point to consider is as to the authorship of the Gîtâ. The popular notion on this subject is pretty well known. The whole of the Mahâbhârata is, by our traditions, attributed to Vyâsa, whom we have already noticed as a relative of the Kauravas and Pândavas; and therefore the Bhagavad-gîtâ, also, is naturally affiliated to the same author. The earliest written testimony to this authorship, that I can trace, is to be found in Saṅkarâkârya’s commentary on the Gîtâ{15} itself and on the Brihadâranyakopanishad{16}. To a certain extent, the mention of Vyâsa in the body of the Gîtâ would, from a historic standpoint, seem to militate against this tradition. But I have not seen in any of the commentaries to which I have had access, any consideration of this

Reviews for The Bhagavad Gita (Translated into English prose with an Introduction by Kashinath Trimbak Telang)

[jakebornheimer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read for class at Carleton University in 2016. I had read through lightly a long time ago, but used the ISKCON translation. I liked this one much better. Knowing a bit more of the background really helped me to get more out of it this time too. The descriptions in the final chapter of each term as it relates to the three gunas (material constituents) was particularly neat. I often didn't agree with the points of the philosophy (not believing in an eternal transmigrating self). And (relatedly) at times I felt strange that the doctrine was essentially being used to convince Arjuna that it was okay to kill thousands of his family and friends. Still I can see why this has been so widely read and I greatly enjoyed my reading.

[fledgist · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The classic Indian examination of duty.

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Couldn't get into this. I know, I feel like shit about it. But do you know how many of the words in this were "wotteth"?? Like 30.

[yesnomaybe-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read this translation, along with Easwaran's three volume commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, more than once. I don't really understand it, but I can see why this is a classic text of world spirituality. What I don't understand is what I need to understand better.

[anandrajan_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I will always be grateful to Barbara Miller for her translation of the Bhagavad Gita for one overarching reason: her translation of Chapter 15, "The True Spirit of Man" pointed out the non-duality at the heart of the Gita, something that I had missed in other translations. Here's an excerpt:15:16"There is a double spirit of manin the world, transient and eternal-transient in all creatures,eternal at the summit of existence.....15:18Since I transcend what is transientand I am higher than the eternal,I am known as the supreme spirit of manin the world and in sacred lore."This was very useful to me since it pointed out that Krishna - or the Supreme Spirit - is more significant and more fundamental than both the transient and the eternal. In other words, this is a non-dual insight which goes beyond polytheism, monotheism, henotheism and kathenotheism. There is only Spirit - there is only Ati - and Miller beautifully captures the heart of this wisdom teaching in 15:16 and 15:18.

[stillatim · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Friends,

why do you love this book? This book is awful. It's very smart, yes, and of course a great classic. But I want you to imagine a dialogue between Jesus and Charlemagne in which Charlemagne says he doesn't want to kill all the Germans because, well, they're his relatives, and it seems a bit silly. And Jesus counters this by saying I AM FREAKING GOD DO WHAT THE F*** I TELL YOU YOU HAVE NO OPTION ANYWAY LOOK I HAVE STARS IN MY BELLY!!!! and follows it up by saying that he, Jesus, determines everything and there is no free will but you *should* do the following things in order to really get to know Jesus.

Now, obviously I'm being polemical here. The BG has some very nice individual moments; it's a philosophical masterpiece akin to Boethius or Job; and, most remarkably for me, it essentially says that everything a benighted Westerner like myself thinks of when I think of Hinduism is wrong. The step from polytheism to monotheism is pretty much the greatest intellectual leap ever made, and who the heck am I to say that someone who makes that leap thousands of years before I was even born is only worth three stars?

Someone who thinks that determinism makes no sense in a religion, that Krishna is kind of a self-centered lunatic ("I AM THE CLARIFIED BUTTER! I AM THE HERB!"), and that justifying war by saying that if you're a warrior, you're logically compelled to kill your kin and besides, we have no option, is horrific.

And yet the hippies love this stuff. Almost as if they were really just repressing their inner Charles Manson.

[michaeldneely · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best detailed translation work of the Bhagavad Gita out there. It includes grammatical classification for each word, as well as a word for word translation. Every significant translated text should have the level of detail that this book has. As a student of Sanskrit, I would not agree with some of the verse interpretations of this book, but that will always be the case. I found a few typos and incorrect grammatical classifications, but overall it is amazing. The language is a bit dated, but nothing too archaic. A must have for the student of Sanskrit.

[weeksj10 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

You really need to be interested and devoted to get something out of this text, but even if the material is not for you there are many wondrous scenes that can change the way you look at the world. So if you can stick with it and keep a clear head then this book has so much to offer, but if you can't then chances are it will just be confusing and you will think it is a waste of time. Definitely not for everyone.

[mlrakestraw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For me, this is the best Baghavad Gita translation. Van Buitenen does not seem to have as much of a philosophical agenda as many other translations. The Sanskrit is included (for those of you with a sanskrit dictionary) and the English on the facing page.

[smith54a · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely wonderful

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I find Mascaro's introduction too syncretistic in trying to reconcile Christianity and Hindium. Both may be good things, but they are very different things.

[bobcity · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent reading of the most read story in the world. Needleman, reads with the authority of someone who has studied the subject matter in depth for a long time.

[brothajohn_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

a great and necessary read for all. this translation is superb and accessible. I have read it three or four times now

[coyote111 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you are a seeker then you need to read this!

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very much like the other "wisdom collections" of the time. I kind of enjoyed the frame concept of it being a conversations between two characters, rather than the author talking at the reader, such as with other collections of wisdom, but at the same time, I kind of just wanted it to get on with it.

[jasmyn9 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because it is one of the essential texts of Hindu culture and I enjoy learning the history of culture and religions. This particular text is a series of conversations between the Arjuna (a warrior/prince) and the god Krishna. There are some interesting sections on what is the basis of action is and how we should approach it mentally and overcome our physical desires.I don't like to rate books that can be viewed as religious texts, so I give them all 3 stars as a rule.3/5

[kendrarenee · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Religious bullshit that sanctions violence because, according to Lord Krsna, men have souls so what does it matter if you kill them?? No thanks. I neither approve of nor recommend it. It claims truths simply on the authority of itself, which doesn't fly with me.

[pamelawells · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"As a Seeker you must learn a much higher code of conduct then just those taught to you as a child. This requires your willingness to integrate many points of view. What wisdom list would be complete without at least a few perspectives about the divine? Start with your own then try the Bhagavad Gita. From the East. This version of the Bhagavad Gita is translated for easier reading for Westerners."

[bodhisattva_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

1885 translation of the Bhagavad Gita by a Victorian poet and journalist, who fashioned the Gita in the language of the King James Bible. One of the earlier English translations, and of value for that reason. Also reported to be the translation that Mohandas Gandhi first read as a law student in London with the Theososphical Society.

[kcshankd · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful volume, oversized as Arjuna tries to work up his courage.

[gbill_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Bhagavad-Gita, subtitled, Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War, if taken literally, is a little difficult to abide with. A young prince, Arjuna, is on a battlefield, but sees “no good in killing my kinsmen in battle”, and thus lays down his arms. This seems like a very good and enlightened thing to do. However, the lord Krishna, in the form of his charioteer, then instructs him through various teachings that it’s his sacred duty to fight, that he must do so, and in the end Arjuna agrees; his “delusion is destroyed”, something we may have difficulty accepting. Along the way Krishna flexes his might, pointing out in one chapter that among other things he is Vishnu, Shiva, the Ganges, “the thunderbolt among weapons”, death, “indestructible time”, “the dice game of gamblers”, “everywhere at once”, “the beginning, middle, and end of creations”, etc etc. This heavy-handed commanding of Arjuna, similar to God in the Old Testament with Abraham and Job, is also off-putting at first glance. One asks, how can this be a spiritual book, versus an alternate story which might have Arjuna remaining a nonviolent pacifist to the very end, accepting whatever punishment from this overbearing God that resulted? One must read the Gita as countless others have throughout history, as a parable. I believe the “time of war” is the war within one’s own heart in times of difficulty, which are inescapable in life; the enemies one must kill are the desires and attachments which lead to suffering. The way to overcome these is through discipline and a sense of detachment from one’s emotions. This includes losing one’s fear even of death, since it is inevitable for all things, and in fulfilling one’s sacred duties (one’s Dhama) without regard for rewards or consequences. It takes discipline and a steadfastness to do this, but it’s through these means that one can have a tranquil mind, and transcend the limitations of worldly existence. I believe the reason Krishna “flexes his muscles” in the text is to remind us that these things we feel, these powerful emotions which seem so important and like the entire world to us when we feel them, are nothing when compared against the eternity of time and the infinity of space. When put in that context, one sees that we shouldn’t concentrate on them, that they (and we ourselves) are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but we can ironically use this knowledge to become stronger, and to overcome suffering.Doing one’s sacred duty may in fact require one to be nonviolent, and it’s notable that Gandhi and other spiritual men have appreciated the Gita. As Thomas Merton wrote: “Arjuna has an instinctive repugnance for war, and that is the chief reason why war is chosen as the example of the most repellent kind of duty. The Gita is saying that even in what appears to be the most ‘unspiritual’, one can act with pure intentions and thus be guided by Krishna consciousness. This consciousness itself will impose the most strict limitations on one’s own use of violence because that use will not be directed by one’s own selfish interests, still less by cruelty, sadism, and blood-lust.”It’s an impressive text at 2200-2500 years old, and also poetic. I still recall reading the line “I see…the moon and sun in your eyes” while camping in Yosemite National Park long ago, and thinking of it as recently as this past week. Oppenheimer is famous for having quoted the Gita when he saw the first nuclear test: “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. I don’t think it’s necessarily the pinnacle of philosophical or religious works, but it is profound and certainly worth reading.Quotes:On doing one’s duty, without regard for the results; just doing it:“Be intent on action,Not on the fruits of action;Avoid attraction to the fruitsAnd attachment to inaction!”On enlightenment:“Truly free is the sage who controlsHis senses, mind, and understanding,Who focuses on freedomAnd dispels desire, fear, and anger.”On love:“O Arjuna, only by theunswerving love of a human heart,can my supreme state be seen,and known, and attained.”