The Bhagavad Gita

by Bibek Debroy

The Bhagavad Gita

300 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Bibek Debroy was an Indian economist, who served as the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. He was also the Chairman of the Finance Ministry's 'Expert Committee for Infrastructure Classification and Financing Framework for Amrit Kaal'. Debroy has made significant contributions to game theory, economic theory, income and social inequalities, poverty, law reforms, railway reforms and Indology among others. From its inception in January 2015 until June 2019, Mr. Debroy was a member of the NITI Aayog, the think tank of the Indian Government. He was awarded the Padma Shri (the fourth-highest civilian honour in India) in 2015.
Bibek Debroy's recent co-authored magnum opus, Inked in India, stands distinguished as the premier comprehensive documentation, capturing the entirety of recognized fountain pen, nib, and ink manufacturers in India.
In 2016, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the US-India Business Summit. In 2022, he was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by The Australia India Chamber of Commerce (AICC). In February 2024, Debroy was conferred Insolvency Law Academy Emeritus Fellowship, in recognition of his distinguished leadership, public service, work and contributions in the field of insolvency.
Bibek Debroy died on 1 November 2024, at the age of 69. He had been admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi one month prior.

Reviews

[A. B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time that I read the Gītā, I find more to appreciate. I paged through the Sanskrit as well for the second and third chapters for some śloka-s to memorise. Debroy's translation is lucid and elegant.

[Karan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best translation of the Bhagavad Gita that I have come across.

[Shatrunjay Pathare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always wanted to read the right version of the Bhagvadagita and finally found this after years of searching. Bibek Debroy makes sure only translate everything word by word and provide any of his interpretations seperately in the footnotes so as to leave the reader with the faculty to interpret in their own way. There are also ofcourse the actual sanskrit verses on the side as well so anyone who can read Sanskrit can double check his translations at any point.

Bibek also explains the need for his version of the Bhagavadgita by explaining all the different kinds of versions that exist, the more academic vs the more mainstream, the western authors vs the eastern authors, the older vs newer versions, translations vs interpretations, the religious vs the secular etc. alongwith examples for each of these which is quite interesting.