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Could you recommend a Gita translation or commentary that I could purchase?

October 19th, 2007  •  By Swami Nirmalananda Giri

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Bhagavad Gita coverThe absolute best translation is THE SONG OF GOD: BHAGAVAD GITA, by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood. It conveys the spirit of the Gita as no other translation does. It is, though, an interpretive translation. But the interpretations are according to the great commentators such as Adi Shankaracharya. The supplementary material, including an essay by Aldous Huxley, is extremely valuable in understanding the Gita’s subtle philosophy.

However, in time you need to engage in a deeper study of the Gita, and for that you need translations that will give you the original Sanskrit text, a word-by-word translation, and some commentary. Among the best of these are the translations of Swami Sivananda, Swami Swarupananda, and Winthrop Sargeant.

All four of these translations can be bought from Amazon.com.

The Gita is a lifetime study which you will find continually reveals new insights and inspiration.

Since the Gita is a digest of the upanishads, I also recommend that you get THE UPANISHADS: BREATH OF THE ETERNAL by Swami Prabhavananda.

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Author: Swami Nirmalananda Giri Tags: Q & A · Recommended Reading