The Gita In The Vision And The Words Of Sri Aurobindo

by Sri Aurobindo, Galeran d'Esterno (Editor)

This book provides a seamless fusion of translation, interpretation, and commentary on the Gita in the words of Sri Aurobindo. Nearly all of the 700 shlokas or verses of the Gita have been translated or freely rendered by Sri Aurobindo, mostly in Essays on the Gita but also in The Life Divine, The Synthesis of Yoga, and in essays and articles published in Essays Divine and Human and Essays in Philosophy and Yoga. The editor, following the order of the Gita s Sanskrit shlokas, has woven together these various translations and added explanatory passages, an introduction, and a conclusion, all compiled from Essays on the Gita. A distinctive feature of this scholarly work is the use of boldface type to indicate those portions of the text that are renderings of the Sanskrit verses, thus incorporating translation and commentary in an unbroken continuity.

339 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

About the author

Sri Aurobindo (Bengali: শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo) was an Indian nationalist and freedom fighter, major Indian English poet, philosopher, and yogi. He joined the movement for India's freedom from British rule and for a duration (1905–10), became one of its most important leaders, before turning to developing his own vision and philosophy of human progress and spiritual evolution.

The central theme of Sri Aurobindo's vision is the evolution of life into a "life divine". In his own words: "Man is a transitional being. He is not final. The step from man to superman is the next approaching achievement in the earth evolution. It is inevitable because it is at once the intention of the inner spirit and the logic of Nature's process."

The principal writings of Sri Aurobindo include, in prose, The Life Divine, considered his single great work of metaphysics,The Synthesis of Yoga, Secrets of the Vedas, Essays on the Gita, The Human Cycle, The Ideal of Human Unity, Renaissance in India and other essays, Supramental Manifestation upon Earth, The Future Poetry, Thoughts and Aphorisms and several volumes of letters. In poetry, his principal work is Savitri: a Legend and a Symbol in blank verse.