Bhagavad-gītā is also known as Gītopaniṣad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upaniṣads in Vedic literature.
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Abridged Edition
| Edition | 1 |
| Pub.Date | 25Nov68 |
| Language | English |
| 1st Printing | 1968: X0000 copies, hardcover |
| Printed by | The Macmillan Company, New York, USA |
| Pages | 318p. |
| size | 6.4x9.3 inch |
| lccn | 68008322 |
| Reg. num. | A47142 |
| Translated into | No authorized translations. |
About this edition
About this edition
THE BHAGAVAD GITA is also known as The Geetopanishad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upanishads in Vedic literature.
There are many commentaries on The Bhagavad Gita, and the necessity for another should be explained on the following basis: an American lady asked me to recommend an English edition of The Bhagavad Gita which she could read. I was unable to do so in good conscience. Of course, there are many translations, but of those I have seen–not only in America, but also in India–none can be said to be authoritative, because in almost every one of them the author bas expressed his personal opinion through the commentaries, without touching the spirit of The Bhagavad Gita as it is.
The spirit of The Bhagavad Gita is mentioned in The Gita Itself. It is like this: if we want to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow the directions written on the label of the bottle. We cannot take the medicine according to our own directions, or the directions of a friend not in knowledge of this medicine. We must follow the directions on the label or the directions of our physician. The Bhagavad Gita also should be accepted as it is directed by the Speaker Himself. The Speaker is Lord Sri Krishna. He is mentioned on every page as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or «Bhagavan.» Bhagavan sometimes means any powerful person or demigod, but here it means Krishna. This is confirmed by all the great teachers, including Shankara and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In India there are many authorities on Vedic knowledge, and they have virtually all accepted Sri Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We should therefore accept The Bhagavad Gita as it is directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.
There are many commentaries on The Bhagavad Gita, and the necessity for another should be explained on the following basis: an American lady asked me to recommend an English edition of The Bhagavad Gita which she could read. I was unable to do so in good conscience. Of course, there are many translations, but of those I have seen–not only in America, but also in India–none can be said to be authoritative, because in almost every one of them the author bas expressed his personal opinion through the commentaries, without touching the spirit of The Bhagavad Gita as it is.
The spirit of The Bhagavad Gita is mentioned in The Gita Itself. It is like this: if we want to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow the directions written on the label of the bottle. We cannot take the medicine according to our own directions, or the directions of a friend not in knowledge of this medicine. We must follow the directions on the label or the directions of our physician. The Bhagavad Gita also should be accepted as it is directed by the Speaker Himself. The Speaker is Lord Sri Krishna. He is mentioned on every page as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or «Bhagavan.» Bhagavan sometimes means any powerful person or demigod, but here it means Krishna. This is confirmed by all the great teachers, including Shankara and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In India there are many authorities on Vedic knowledge, and they have virtually all accepted Sri Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We should therefore accept The Bhagavad Gita as it is directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.
(Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 1968. Introduction)
The Definitive
English Edition
| Edition | 2 |
| Pub.Date | 14Aug72 |
| Language | English |
| 1st Printing | 1972: X0000 copies, hardcover |
| Printed by | The Macmillan Company, New York, USA |
| Pages | xvi, 981p., 48 pic. |
| size | 6x9 inch |
| lccn | 72079319 |
| Reg. num. | A369625 |
| Translated into | No authorized translations. |
About this edition
About this edition
Originally I wrote Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in the form in which it is presented now. When this book was first published, the original manuscript was, unfortunately, cut short to less than 400 pages, without illustrations and without explanations for most of the original verses of the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā. In all of my other books–Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Śrī Īśopaniṣad, etc.–the system is that I give the original verse, its English transliteration, word-for-word Sanskrit-English equivalents, translations and purports. This makes the book very authentic and scholarly and makes the meaning self-evident. I was not very happy, therefore, when I had to minimize my original manuscript. But later on, when the demand for Bhagavad-gītā As It Is considerably increased, I was requested by many scholars and devotees to present the book in its original form, and Messrs. Macmillan and Co. agreed to publish the complete edition. Thus the present attempt is to offer the original manuscript of this great book of knowledge with full paramparā explanation in order to establish the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement more soundly and progressively.
(Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 1972. Preface)