Bhagavad Gita: The Beloved Lord's Secret Love Song

by Graham M. Schweig

Overview

An elegant, highly accessible new English translation of the classic Hindu text, one of the most important sacred scriptures in world religion.

The Bhagavad Gita is often regarded as the Bible of India. With a gripping story and deeply compelling message, it is unquestionably one of the most popular sacred texts of Asia and, along with the Bible and the Qur’an, one of the most important holy scriptures in the world.

Part of an ancient Hindu epic poem, the dialogue of the Bhagavad Gita takes place on a battlefield, where a war for the possession of a North Indian kingdom is about to ensue between two noble families related by blood. The epic’s hero, young Prince Arjuna, is torn between his duty as a warrior and his revulsion at the thought of his brothers and cousins killing each other over control of the realm. Frozen by this ethical dilemma, he debates the big questions of life and death with the supreme Hindu deity Krishna, cleverly disguised as his charioteer. By the end of the story, Eastern beliefs about mortality and reincarnation, the vision and practice of yoga, the Indian social order and its responsibilities, family loyalty, spiritual knowledge, and the loftiest pursuits of the human heart are explored in depth. Explaining the very purpose of life and existence, this classic has stood the test of twenty-three centuries. It is presented here in a thoroughly accurate, illuminating, and beautiful translation that is sure to become the standard for our day.

“Schweig’s new, beautiful, and accessible translation of the Gita will remain the standard text of this marvelous Song for years to come.” —Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions

“Crystal clear and eminently readable.” —Ariel Glucklich, Professor of Theology (Hinduism) at Georgetown University

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062065025
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/21/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	789,927
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Graham M. Schweig is the author and translator of Dance of Divine Love: The Råsa Lîlå of Krishna. After completing graduate work at the University of Chicago and Harvard University, he became associate professor of religious studies at Christopher Newport University and visiting associate professor of Sanskrit at the University of Virginia. Schweig was recently a Visiting Fellow of Hindu studies at Oxford University, and has been accepted as a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University. He has traveled to India several times where for one year, under a Smithsonian Institution-funded grant, he researched ancient handwritten manuscripts. Since an early age, Schweig has practiced various forms of meditational and devotional yoga.

Read an Excerpt

Bhagavad Gita
The Beloved Lord's Secret Love Song

Chapter One

Arjuna's Conflict and Despair

Dhritarashtra said:

On the field of dharma,
on the field of Kuru,
assembled together
desiring to fight,
Were my armies
and indeed those
of the sons of Pandu—
how did they act, O Sanjaya?¹

1

Sanjaya said:

Now seeing the armies
of the Pandavas arrayed
in battle formation,
King Duryodhana,
approaching his teacher,
spoke these words:²

2

[Duryodhana said:]

Behold these mighty warriors
of the sons of Pandu,
O Revered Teacher,
Arrayed in
battle formation
by the son of Drupada,
your own skillful student.³

3

Bhagavad Gita
The Beloved Lord's Secret Love Song. Copyright © by Graham Schweig. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

What People are Saying About This

Huston Smith

“Graham Schweig’s new, beautiful, and accessible translation will remain the standard text of this marvelous Song for years to come.”

Arvind Sharma

“The Bhagavad Gita is a religious classic; Graham Schweig’s felicitous translation deserves to be called a classic in its own right.”

John Borelli

“Schweig has produced a beautifully readable, accurate and respectful translation that should become the standard text for classroom use.”

Editorial Reviews

Graham Schweig’s new, beautiful, and accessible translation will remain the standard text of this marvelous Song for years to come.” — Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions

“Crystal clear and eminently readable.” — Ariel Glucklich, Professor of Theology (Hinduism) at Georgetown University

“The Bhagavad Gita is a religious classic; Graham Schweig’s felicitous translation deserves to be called a classic in its own right.” — Arvind Sharma, Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at McGill University, author of Our Religions

“Schweig has produced a beautifully readable, accurate and respectful translation that should become the standard text for classroom use.” — John Borelli, Special Assistant to the President for Interreligious Initiatives at Georgetown University, author of Interfaith Dialogue

“Extremely reader friendly, particularly if you have little or no prior exposure to the Gita. ” — Yoga Journal

From the Publisher

Schweig has produced a beautifully readable, accurate and respectful translation that should become the standard text for classroom use.

John Borelli

Extremely reader friendly, particularly if you have little or no prior exposure to the Gita.

Yoga Journal

The Bhagavad Gita is a religious classic; Graham Schweig’s felicitous translation deserves to be called a classic in its own right.

Arvind Sharma

Crystal clear and eminently readable.

Ariel Glucklich

Graham Schweig’s new, beautiful, and accessible translation will remain the standard text of this marvelous Song for years to come.

Huston Smith

Extremely reader friendly, particularly if you have little or no prior exposure to the Gita.

Yoga Journal