Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi

Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi

A sloka-by-sloka interpretation of one of the world's most enduring and influential spiritual text by one of the truly great figures of the twentieth century.

Unlike other interpretations, Gandhi's commentary is direct and to the point, not offering an opinion on the meaning of the text, but fleshing out the message, often relating it to his own extraordinary experiences.

It is not a manual of the dos and don'ts; rather it is a guide to the challenges we all face in our lives. It expounds the profound idea that nothing done in the path of trust is ever lost, there is no harm, no fear in following it.

Gandhi's Gita is also a call to detached service, a 'gospel of selfless action'. It is in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 'an empire of thought' that everyone can benefit from, regardless of religion, beliefs or background.

Says Gandhi, the Bhagavad Gita is not a description of war between cousins, but between two natures in us — the Good and the Evil. It is a work which persons belonging to all faiths can read. It teaches nothing but pure ethics.

Mahatma Gandhi's commentary of the Bhagavad Gita is recognised as one of the most important interpretations of the Gita and is ranked alongside those by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sri Aurobindo and S Radhakrishnan.

Publisher's Note

Mahatma Gandhi’s commentary of the Bhagavad Gita is recognised as one of the most important interpretations of the Gita and is ranked alongside those by Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sri Aurobindo and S. Radhakrishnan.

The Bhagavad Gita: According to Gandhi is based on talks given by the Mahatma at the Sabarmati Ashram (also known as Satyagraha Ashram) Ahmedabad, over a nine month period between February 24 and November 27, 1926. During this period Gandhi devoted much of his time and energy to translating the Gita from Sanskrit into Gujarati. The morning prayers at the Ashram were invariably followed by inspired discourses on the Bhagavad Gita and discussions on what it meant to him.

Gandhi’s commentary was transcribed on a daily basis mostly by his close associate and confidant, Mahadev Desai, and by another Ashram resident, most likely, Punjabhai Shah. It was first published in Gujarati in 1955, and subsequently in English in The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi by the Government of India in 1969.

This edition is largely based upon The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi and with some help of Mahadev Desai’s edition of Gandhi’s commentary in English which was authorised and proofed by Gandhi.

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