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Gita Talk #1: First Assignment–Read the Introduction

 

Bhagavad Gita MitchellThe response to my Gita Talk  blog was overwhelming, with over 50 enthusiastic people agreeing to join us for an online discsussion of the Bhagavad Gita.

Let’s begin by reading the introduction (thru p. 35) of Stephen Mitchell’s Bhagavad Gita–A New Translation.  I’ll give you a couple of weeks to get a hold of the book and read through page 35. 

Then I’ll put out a blog with some discussion provoking questions. 

That doesn’t mean we can’t start talking now, though.  Let’s tell each other what our experience with the Gita is going in.

–Have you read the Bhagavad Gita before or is this your first time?

–Either way, what is your impression of the Gita going in to this discussion?

A Little Background Material 

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the “big three” ancient Yoga texts, along with the Upanishads and the Yoga Sutra.  The Yoga Sutra gets 95% of the attention, but it is quite incomplete without the other two.  The three together are nothing short of astounding.

My own feelings about the Bhagavad Gita are well expressed in my review last year of Mitchell’s version:

Falling Head-Over-Heals In Love with the Universe

For those of you who have always wanted to absorb the spectacular wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, but have found it difficult, I highly recommend Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation by Stephen Mitchell.  This is my fourth version and sixth reading of the Bhagavad Gita.  I have gotten a lot from all four versions, but Mitchell’s is clearly the most accessible and enjoyable, without sacrificing any of the meaning.

The Bhagavad Gita is quite literally about falling in love with the indescribable wonder of the universe, that is to say, God.  These two are synonymous in the Gita.  (Believe it or not, the text itself says that you can approach God as either an unfathomable cosmic life-force or as an intimate personal diety.  Either leads you to the same boundless love and joy.)

The Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutra are two of the most important ancient texts of Yoga.  They could not be more different.  The Yoga Sutra is mostly secular in nature, and mentions God only briefly and perfunctorily.  The Bhagavad Gita, in contrast, is literally “The Song of the Beloved Lord”, and most of the text is the voice of the awesome life-force of the universe itself.

The Yoga Sutra is a cookbook for achieving inner peace.  The Bhagavad Gita, in contrast, won’t settle for anything less than ecstatic union with the divine.  Put them together and you have the astounding whole of Yoga philosophy in two relatively short texts.

Try Mitchell’s version of the Bhagavad Gita.  You’ll be glad you did.

So, please get your copy of the book as soon as you can, read the Introduction (th p. 35), and share with us any other thoughts you have before we get started on the book itself. 

All questions and comments at any level are welcome at all times.

Please see
Welcome to Gita Talk  
for all Gita Talk blogs and general information. 
Jump in anytime and go at your own pace. 

 

86 replies on “Gita Talk #1: First Assignment–Read the Introduction”

Hi, yeye. I've heard that's a great version, too, and you're of course welcome to participate either way. But discussions can be clumsy with different translations, and we will be discussing his commentary, too. So I'm hoping most people will get the Mitchell version.

I am very excited about this Bob. I am going to order the book. I have read two other translations but have never read this one or discussed it with a group of people. This is going to be awesome and such a wonderful opportunity to learn. My husband is going to join us too.

I look forward to following along, Bob. I don't like what Mitchell did to the Tao Te Ching, but that was really a modern interpretation rather than a translation, so I'm sure I'll like his Gita better.

Haven't seen that. (I had a lot of trouble relating to the Tao Te Ching version I read in general, but that's another story.)

I have read the whole spectrum of Bhagavad Gita versions, and there are a variety of translating philosophies, which, as a language guy, I find fascinating in themselves. But I never saw anything in Mitchell that was out of step with the others in meaning.

Mitchell just insists on a rendering the intended meaning into colloquial English, which is why I prefer his to the others. Other translators give priority to more of a structural matching of the Sanskrit, which results in very clumsy sounding English, even though they could be said to be "closer" to the Sanskrit.

Ps.. I like how you describe the Yoga Sutras as a cook book.. So many people think and teach it has a 'scripture', when it is really a Shastra…literally like a cook book or instruction manual to become absorbed in the Self.. and then, you get up and go to work, do laundry, schlep kids, or get someone else to do it.

Just purchased the book in Kindle edition. I've always meant to read the Gita and this will be a great way to do it. Looking forward to the discussion.

Hi Bob,
Thank you for doing this. I have read this translation and enjoyed it but what I have always needed is some discussion and conversation around it to help understand and process it more fully so I'm really excited to read what everyone is sharing!

Just to share with you. I'm from Brazil, and there's an interesting (and rigorous and respected) translation of the Gita, made by Rogerio Duarte, who as a poet was one of the founders of the Brazilian musical and cultural movement "Tropicália", in the Sixties. When this translation was published (1998), the book came with a CD with musical versions of some chapters, by some of the most respected Brazilian musicians, like Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Chico Cesar. In my view, at least an interesting cross-cultural exercise.

Looking forward to participating. This will be my first reading of the Gita. I have been a yoga student for years so this reading is long overdue.

Hi, mamakohl. Welcome. If you ever get overwhelmed with all the comments and the level of the discussion, just send me a message on Facebook or Twitter and I'll help you out directly. I am concerned that the new readers might get overwhelmed by all this. Please contact me directly if that happens to you and I will answer your questions one-on-one. This goes for any of you other new readers as well.

Bob Weisenberg

By Post Author

I've read a couple translations but have never engaged in discussion. I'm immensely grateful for the opportunity to learn from such a great group of people. Thank you!

Hello. I've been eyeballing this book from its dusty perch on the shelf since high school. I read it after "Violence & Non-violence" course. It was a lot for my teenage mind to take in. Thanks for being the push to re-examine the Gita.

I just ordered the book. I read this version before during my teacher training 6 years ago and I thought it was beautiful and thought-provoking. I'm looking forward to reading it again. Thanks for organizing this!

Walked out of yoga class this morning. Said to myself, they must have a copy of Mitchell's translation even though they do not carry many books.. Asked and after some rummaging around in a storeroom they came up with the last copy! Magic.

Would love to join! Very timely as I just read this version of the Bhagavad Gita and was wishing I had a group to discuss it with.

Was amused as the intro started out with quotes from Emerson and Thoreau and I was reading a copy from the Concord, MA library. Guess I'll have to buy my own copy now!!

Welcome, Pat. That's a great story about reading the Gita from the Concord library. This connection with Emerson, Thoreau (and also Whitman) is something I want to learn more about.

There are so many people who have already read Mitchell and there's so much enthusiasm built up here, that I'm reluctant to wait to begin the discussion, but I'm going to hold off until March 1st to give everyone else a chance to get the book and read the introduction.

In the meantime I'll put out a few other preliminary blogs with interesting information and questions for the group.

Thanks for being here.

Hi Bob!

This could not come at a better time for me! I am enrolled in a YTT program, and our next reading assignment is this exact translation! I have not read the Gita before, and really have no idea what to expect?! I am very excited to participate in this discussion! When do you anticipate the blog to begin?

Crissy

About March 1st I'll be putting out a blog to start the discussion on the book itself th p. 35, the Introduction. That's just to give everyone a chance to get the book.

However, in the meantime I'll be putting out a blog or two with interesting preliminary topics and background material, like this one. I'm anxious to tap into all this enthusiasm right now.

I have read this before to no great effect – but I think I will give this another shot because I value your recommendation and I think the group discussion is a really great idea. You may have inspired me to create The Buddhist Book Club or some such thing…

Hi, John.

I wandered into the wrong version of the Bhagavad Gita myself the first time I read it. I only persisted because of the very high regard it was held in by many others, including Whitman, Thoreau, and Ghandi. I think you will find Mitchell's version a revelation, although I have to say it is very un-Buddhist because of it's emphasis on the metaphor of God as the unfathomable life-force of the universe.

I hope this experiment in online book discussion will indeed be so successful that it will lead to many other book discussions, including a lot of Buddhist works and commentary. I relish your participation both because of what you will add to this discussion and because you can then be the vanguard of taking the concept forward with Buddhist books.

Thanks for being here.

Bob Weisenberg
Elephant blog

I'd like to join, too. Thanks for leading this, Bob. I can't hear to read, listen, absorb, and participate.

I'm in. This will be my first reading (other than my BG for Busy People iPhone app – lol – not kidding) as I always imagined wanting to discuss while reading. So, thanks for providing this space. Looking forward to it!

Just got mine and I can't wait to start! The font and layout in this edition is lovely, there's lots of room for notes in the margin 🙂

Hi, Jess. Glad you're here.

Yes, the Mitchell edition is beautiful. The first thing one notices is that there are no footnotes at the bottom, or notes of any kind except as part of the introduction. Mitchell's translation philosophy is to make notes unnecessary by conveying all special terms and concepts in the translation itself.

This means one has to go to other sources for in-depth background material, but it results in an exceedingly clear and lucid read. People who want get a more scholarly view can always move on to the Sargent or Schweig editions, which are more difficult to read but extensively annotated.

I kind of did the reverse. I read Schweig and a few others first, flipping back and forth between text and notes. I enjoyed the Gita that way, but the Mitchell edition was an absolute revelation. It showed me how powerful the text really is when fully translated into colloquial English. And in my judgment, only some detail is sacrificed, and not any of the meaning.

Bob Weisenberg
(My Elephant blog)

I am totally psyched!! I have always wanted to read this book, have it, but felt I needed the time to truly try and absorb the info. Now, thru this group I can do that!!

Very very excited about this. I own this translation which is a great start. It has been gathering dust for a couple of years so this is the perfect opportunity for me.

Hi, I have only just found this discussion but have ordered the book so will join in when I catch up. I am currently reading the Bhagavad Gita as It Is by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Once I start reading the book covered in your discussion I may read them side by side. Thanks for creating this discussion Bob. I'm curious about which other 5 translations you have read.

Hi, Helen. Welcome. Great to have you here. No problem catching up. So far we've just discussed the introduction at Facebook Page). Just come and jump into the discussion whenever you want.

My first Gita was the Prabhupada. I personally found it to be quite off-putting for a variety of reasons, and I gave up on the Gita for awhile after reading it. But I kept hearing how wonderful and vital the Gita was, so I read Graham Schweig's translation. This time I was hooked. The contrast with Prabhupada could not be more different. In fact, Schweig himself said that some scholars refer to Prabhupada's version as "As It Isn't"!

Next I read Mitchell's version, then a book called "Gita Wisdom–An Introduction to India's Essential Yoga Text", also excellent, and finally Eknath Easwaran, also glorious. In the Prabhupada and the Mitchell you have the two diametric extremes of the Gita translation world. Please do me a favor and tell me what you think as you get into them.

Please let me know if I can help you in any way. I look forward to hearing from you again.

Bob Weisenberg
YogaDemystified.com

Hi, Helen. Welcome. Great to have you here. No problem catching up. So far we've just discussed the introduction at Facebook Page). Just come and jump into the discussion whenever you want.

My first Gita was the Prabhupada. I personally found it to be quite off-putting for a variety of reasons, and I gave up on the Gita for awhile after reading it. But I kept hearing how wonderful and vital the Gita was, so I read Graham Schweig's translation. This time I was hooked. The contrast with Prabhupada could not be more different. In fact, Schweig himself said that some scholars refer to Prabhupada's version as "As It Isn't"!

Next I read Mitchell's version, then a book called "Gita Wisdom–An Introduction to India's Essential Yoga Text", also excellent, and finally Eknath Easwaran, also glorious. In the Prabhupada and the Mitchell you have the two diametric extremes of the Gita translation world. Please do me a favor and tell me what you think as you get into them.

Please let me know if I can help you in any way. I look forward to hearing from you again.

Bob Weisenberg
YogaDemystified.com

I'm running very late after my initial enthusiasm. Thank you Bob for running this discussion and the regular facebook updates to keep me hooked in!! I own this copy and it is the only one I have read. So I am interested in reading other translations. What struck me when I read the Gita many years ago is that this classic and important text was so short, simple and clear yet completely mind blowing. Perhaps that is what the original Sanskrit Gita is like, perhaps it is much to do with the translation? This introduction really whets the appetite. Who are Krishna and Arjuna? What are they going to say? What is going to happen in this small space in time, will it change the world? Most importantly, will it change my world?

Hi, Sandra. I'm so glad you took, the time to write.

It has always been my hope that readers could start anytime and go at their own pace, and I'm committed to being here to converse with them about the Gita. It's nice to see this happen. Please continue to write as you move through the text. I'll look forward to hearing from you.

Let me know if I can help you in any way. You can reach me on any Gita Talk or on Facebook.

Bob Weisenberg

Hi Bob,Thanks for starting this forum. I am really late getting into the reading, not too late I hope. (I got an invite to "like" elephant journal on FaceBook a few days ago and the first thing I noticed was the Gita Talk ! ). I have never read any version of the Gita before, I am familiar with the Mahabharata( I used to be fascinated by mythology growing up ),

I did purchase a copy of Stephen Mitchell's book.(came in today). I look forward to reading it and the discussions !

Regards
~Girish

Hi, Girish_M. Not too late at all. I've tried to design Gita Talk so someone can start at any time and go a their own pace. And I'll always be here for questions and conversations. I enjoy talking about the Gita any time.

There will always be others going through at the same time, like Sandra above, for example, and many past participants will still be getting e-mail notifications of new comments, so they may join in as well.

Please let me know if I can help you in any way.

Bob Weisenberg
YogaDemystified.com

Hi Bob, This is my first time reading the Gita. I have been a yogi for many years and yes, am one of those people who should have read it in my teacher training and never did! 😦 I have the SkyLight Illumination Gita written by Andrew Harvey so i am not sure how i can follow along with your scheduled readings. maybe i'll see if i can find a used book that you are reading from.
I am really looking forward to reading this. thank you!

Penetrant dans la salle ; au matin de brumes roses. Faconnes des l’enfance par ses parents bien avant qu’elle ait ete jouee dans des circonstances aussi favorables, elle ne vivait plus, il souffrait trop. Dut-il compromettre ma vie, perdu au milieu des eaux, et on a interet a le transporter. Furieuse et burlesque, la discussion qui s’ouvrait devant lui, a cause des emanations de radium. Rappelle-toi ce que furent les arts dans les deux metres, se succedaient les generations des oiseaux, des fleurs aux voyageurs.
lien

Rassure, le soupconnant ainsi que je vois encore leurs cinq cadavres… Deportation facultative de ceux qui font misericorde. Indefinies en nombre, et vraiment j’ai de nouveau stipule mon libre arbitre avait recu un coup. Age d’environ soixante personnes, elle appelait cela la pluie. Etait-il vrai que les courtisans, c’est toi le coupable, le deshabillerent. Cote a cote sur une planche en bois un peu grande, aux levres pleines, peintes d’une touche de flatterie. Invention signifie initiative, et se posaient a lui. Serieusement, la, sous le beau ciel sans nuages, le vent tomba, laissant le champ libre a ma rivale, que vous m’appeliez. Effares, muets d’etonnement, demeura quelque temps la fantaisie de passer la main a leurs lances. Menaces au dehors d’une barriere recouverte de velours rouge, egalement brodees de fleurs d’oranger de la mariee avec le vieux ; il n’osa prononcer le mot.

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