Bhagavad Gita a New Perspective- A Universal Message for the Modern Society

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The genesis of this book took place during our visit to India in 1991. We were inspired to write this book after reading Gita Concepts by Gyanendra Trivedi. We read a number of translations and interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita and then decided to try a bold experiment. We completed the text in Placerville, California, where Raj spent time as a visiting scientist. The serene surroundings of Placerville in the California Sierras provided the right ambiance for contemplation, reflection, and a new presentation of the Gita.

This book is intended to provide a simplified yet comprehensive version of the profound Bhagavad Gita for those who are interested in its universal message of Truth. The authors have attempted to present the philosophy of the Gita in such a manner that a person who reads it for the first time is able to get an idea of its deep meaning and application to our daily existence. The original text of the Bhagavad Gita, comprising of 18 chapters, was written in Sanskrit Shlokas (couplets) and is primarily a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra in the great epic, the Mahabharata.

We have divided this book into two parts. Part One deals with the religious and philosophic development of Hinduism, covering the Vedic Age and the Epic Age in the first and second chapters. The story of the Mahabharata is narrated in the third chapter to provide the social and political background of the period, and as a context to similar problems and situations in our society. The biographies of the Sage Veda Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata, and that of Lord Krishna, the revelationist of the Bhagavad Gita, have also been portrayed.

Part Two deals with the Bhagavad Gita. It includes an introduction to the Celestial Song. Also included are the description of the battlefield and Arjuna's despair as described in the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Finally, there are the 27 sub-chapters dealing with the original spiritual work. For a better understanding and clarification, we have presented the essence of the Bhagavad Gita in a question and answer format. In addition to the questions asked by Arjuna (marked in the text Arjuna asks), we have ourselves formulated questions after reviewing the entire scripture of the Bhagavad Gita. We have highlighted these questions in this book and sought answers to these from Lord Krishna's revelations in the Gita. In this respect, our treatment of the Bhagavad Gita takes a departure from the traditional handling of this sacred scripture. We have organized the teachings of the Gita topic- wise, by introducing the concepts of OM, God The Supreme Being. God-The Cosmic Form, God and the World, etc., and thus end our format with the Final Advice from Lord Krishna. We believe that in this mode of presentation the discourse has been put forth in a manner that enables the reader to find answers to his or her questions more easily.

It is humbly stated that this is not the original text of the Bhagavad Gita. But presents a new perspective and interpretation so that it is more easily understood by our generation. The format and the sequence of the original chapters in the Bhagavad Gita have also been reorganized.