The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi: Mohandas K. Gandhi, Mahadev Desai: 9781617203336: Amazon.com: Books
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My first acquaintance with the Gita began in 1888-89 with the verse translation by Sir Edwin Arnold known as the Song Celestial. On reading it, I felt a keen desire to read a Gujarati translation. And I read as many translations as I could lay hold of. But all such reading can give me no passport for presenting my own translation. Then again my knowledge of Sanskrit is limited, my knowledge of Gujarati too is in no way scholarly. How could I then dare present the public with my translation? It has been my endeavor, as also that of some companions, to reduce to practice the teaching of the Gita as I have understood it. The Gita has become for us a spiritual reference book. I am aware that we ever fail to act in perfect accord with the teaching. The failure is not due to want of effort, but is in spite of it. Even though the failures we seem to see rays of hope. The accompanying rendering contains the meaning of the Gita message which this little band is trying to enforce in its daily conduct.--Mahatma Gandhi Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.
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Paperback: 80 pages
Publisher: Wilder Publications (September 5, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1617203335
ISBN-13: 978-1617203336
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.2 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars 82 customer reviews
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Customer reviews
4.1 out of 5 stars
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4.1 out of 5 stars
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D. Krajnovich
5.0 out of 5 starsComparison of three versions of "The Gita According to Gandhi"December 19, 2016
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Many versions of The Gita According to Gandhi have been published. This review compares three that I have read (cf. thumbnail image at bottom of review).
As far as the Gita verses themselves are concerned, they are the same or nearly so in all three books. In other respects, the books differ substantially. Here is a brief chronology followed by a comparison.
1926-27: Gandhi translated the Gita from Sanskrit to Gujarati. In 1926 he gave a nine month series of teachings to members of his ashram. Mahadev Desai and another ashram member took notes on these teachings.
1929: Gandhi wrote an introduction to his translation in Gujarati, and the whole was published in Gujarati.
1931: Gandhi translated his introduction into English while serving a prison term. The introduction was published in English in Young India in 1931.
1933-34: Mahadev Desai, while in prison, translated Gandhi’s Gujarati version of the Gita into English. Desai also wrote a long supplementary introduction (“My Submission”), and added extensive notes of his own to the brief notes that Gandhi had interleaved with the Gita verses, in order to make the Gita more accessible to the English-speaking public.
1942: Desai died before his English translation was published.
1946: Gandhi explains in a Foreword how a collaborator of Desai proof-read Desai’s manuscript after his death and readied it for publication. Gandhi vouches for the accuracy of the English translation. The first edition of Desai’s posthumously published book – complete with Gandhi’s introduction and brief notes; Desai’s supplementary introduction and lengthy notes; and Gandhi’s Foreword – appeared in August 1946. I bought the fifteenth reprint, published in 2012. This version (with orange cover) is still available on Amazon.
The edition with the most reviews on Amazon is a stripped-down version from Wilder Publications. This is the first edition that I purchased and read. It contains Gandhi’s Foreword, Introduction, and brief notes, but it completely omits Desai’s supplementary introduction and all of Desai's notes. Most of what Gandhi praises in the Foreword has been left out. As other reviewers here have pointed out, the Wilder Publications edition suffers from the fact that the notes are not set off from the Gita verses by line spaces, indentation, or a smaller font. To make matters worse, nowhere is it explicitly stated that all of the notes are due to Gandhi. I believe they are (i.e., none of the notes are due to Desai), but this fact should have been made clear by the publisher. The Wilder edition does not have a Glossary or Index.
The Desai edition is superior in both form and content. It gives each verse in Gandhi’s Gujarati; then Desai’s English translation of Gandhi’s Gujarati; followed by Gandhi’s notes (if any) in a smaller font; followed by Desai’s notes in square brackets and a yet smaller font. You can read all of it, or easily skip the parts that don’t interest you. Desai’s supplementary introduction alone is worth the price of the book. At 120 pp., “My Submission” is a book within a book. It contains a wealth of helpful information, presented in an accessible way. Desai’s writing style reminds me somewhat of Montaigne: - by liberal use of quotes, he connects the Gita, Ghandi, and his own thoughts with the whole universe of eastern and western thought. You will find quotes from the Bible and the Koran; Buddha and Lao Tze; philosophers from Plato to Plotinus to Hume to William James; mystics like Meister Eckhart and Shankara; poets from Shakespeare to Browning to Keats. Even a few scientists are mentioned. (How many other Gita commentaries quote Max Planck?!) All in all, Desai’s contributions make for challenging and delightful reading. This edition has a good Index.
The last edition reviewed here makes a wonderful companion volume and complement to Desai. It was edited by John Strohmeier and published by North Atlantic Books in 2009. Strohmeier went back to the notes that Desai and another ashram member took in real time while Gandhi was giving his nine-month-long course in 1926. These transcripts first appeared in English in "The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi" (1969). Strohmeier’s edition is based on these transcripts. In his own words:
“In an effort to bring forward and clarify the essence of Gandhi’s teaching, I have abridged the commentary considerably, and rearranged it in a few sections. The original presentation of the material was unrehearsed and relatively spontaneous, and includes many of the redundancies, contradictions, ellipses, false starts, and situational digressions of everyday conversation. Some of these I have deleted after pursuing the trail of Gandhi’s thought carefully and respectfully… Others I have let stand where they illuminated important ideas, or explained the context in which he made his remarks. For example, his references to an impending flood, the killing of a snake, and the tormenting of a dog by some boys, although quite specific to ashram events, carry lessons that apply to the world beyond the ashram walls.”
The comments and illustrations in Strohmeier are more spontaneous, less polished than the comments in the other books. The reader gets to be the proverbial “fly on the wall” at the ashram in 1926. This book has a combined Glossary and Index.
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Elden
5.0 out of 5 starsFascinating ExplanationNovember 1, 2013
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Very worth while reading this. From my perspective not having a background into the sacred scripture The Bhagavad Gita, Gandhi's translation is eloquent and explained many things to me. I always appreciate such intelligence within a text and marvel how the writer, in this case Gandhi, translated the text so that I can understand the text as well as benefit from the text. The Bhagavad Gita has many lessons that apply to everyday life. I read also that Gandhi would read a portion of the text each day an admiral practice and one that I follow. When you enrich your mind daily with wisdom it has a most profound effect within you.
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Randhir
5.0 out of 5 starsSharing My ExperienceMay 21, 2014
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I have no rights to comment or give feedback on Holy book all I am doing is sharing my experience. After reading many self help books this is the last book that gave the proper Guidence. Its core concept if Detachment of action, Recouncement of Fruits of action and Even Mindness in any condition is what makes a real person. Dedicating all work as a work to god with devotion gives you the true essence of Karma Yoga. This book answer al you querries. With help of Mahatma Gandhijis Lucid explanation it makes reading more interesting.
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D. Bachelor
3.0 out of 5 starsneeds better formattingApril 4, 2010
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The text of the Bhagavad Gita and Gandhi's commentary are not as distinct from each other as I would have liked. The exact same text of both Gita and commentary can be found in "Anasaktiyoga: The Gospel of Selfless Action- the Gita according to Gandhi", edited by Jim Rankin. In Rankin's edition the text of the Gita is very distinct from Gandhi's commentary, and Rankin even labels who is speaking in the Gita so it is easy for someone (like myself)not familiar with the Gita to follow the flow of the discourse. Unfortunately Rankin does not include even half of the commentary included in "The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi" (edited by John Strohmeier) so if you are seeking Gandhi's thoughts on the Gita this is the better edition to purchase.
38 people found this helpful
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An Old Hippie Chick
4.0 out of 5 starsHeavy material, great translationApril 21, 2013
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After reading Ram Dass' book 'Love, service, Devotion, and the Ultimate Surrender,' about the Gita, I wanted to read the original material. I study comparative religion, and have read quite a bit about Hinduism, and know that the Gita is one of the holiest source materials. It's deep, though, and I'm struggling to get through it.
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Allen Levey
5.0 out of 5 starsA practical study of the GitaNovember 22, 2013
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The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi is excellent for a number of reasons. Initially, to me, it will always be excellent to write on the Bhagavad Gita, because it is so useful. Secondly, Gandhi brings his own personal humility to his writing, which invites a similar sense of study to the reader, and without which, I feel, the meaning of the book will not be seen correctly. Certainly a worthy read.
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Walter Lovelace
5.0 out of 5 starsGandhi EssentialsMarch 31, 2014
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Gandhi Essentials
The Gita is not easy to understand but seen through the eyes of Gandhi it becomes a pleasure to read and re-read. One need not agree with all of his comments but his down to earth attitude strkes home. A perfect companion read is Gandhi "A Spiritual Biography" by Arvind Sharma. They cover a very large amount of everything worth knowing about Gandhi.
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Robert
5.0 out of 5 starsPractical discussion and a Spiritual ClassicSeptember 20, 2010
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The Gita is an old friend...So is the Mahatma. One, a book of instruction from ancient wisdom; The other, thoughts from a life of learning on the path... A life from our own time. Go to this book if you want a companion on the journey. I am grateful.
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