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Bhagavad Gita
- GenresSpirituality
Paperback
Published September 15, 2010
34 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Eknath Easwaran
214 books632 followersEknath Easwaran (1910–1999) is the originator of passage meditation and the author of more than 30 books on spiritual living.
Easwaran is a recognized authority on the Indian spiritual classics. His translations of The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, and The Dhammapada are the best-selling editions in the USA, and over 1.5 million copies of his books are in print.
Easwaran was a professor of English literature and well known in India as a writer and speaker before coming to the United States in 1959 on the Fulbright exchange program. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, based in Tomales, California, which continues his work today through publications and retreats.
His 1968 class on the theory and practice of meditation at UC Berkeley is believed to be the first accredited course on meditation at any Western university. For those who seek him as a personal spiritual guide, Easwaran assured us that he lives on through his eight-point program of passage meditation.
"I am with you always”, he said. “It does not require my physical presence; it requires your open heart."
Please visit bmcm.org for a fuller biography.
Easwaran is a recognized authority on the Indian spiritual classics. His translations of The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, and The Dhammapada are the best-selling editions in the USA, and over 1.5 million copies of his books are in print.
Easwaran was a professor of English literature and well known in India as a writer and speaker before coming to the United States in 1959 on the Fulbright exchange program. In 1961, he founded the Blue Mountain Center of Meditation, based in Tomales, California, which continues his work today through publications and retreats.
His 1968 class on the theory and practice of meditation at UC Berkeley is believed to be the first accredited course on meditation at any Western university. For those who seek him as a personal spiritual guide, Easwaran assured us that he lives on through his eight-point program of passage meditation.
"I am with you always”, he said. “It does not require my physical presence; it requires your open heart."
Please visit bmcm.org for a fuller biography.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 30, 2025
Aaah ‘ik ben tijd, vernietiger van werelden’
Aaah je moet je familie doden in oorlog, want brahma. Aaah L prkriti, L gunas
W moksha, altijd aan almighty krshna denken, the fruits of my actions? Nee dankje🫡 compleet seneca, + nul genade
Daadwerkelijk erg leuk om te lezen
Aaah je moet je familie doden in oorlog, want brahma. Aaah L prkriti, L gunas
W moksha, altijd aan almighty krshna denken, the fruits of my actions? Nee dankje🫡 compleet seneca, + nul genade
Daadwerkelijk erg leuk om te lezen
August 10, 2020
Bhagavad Gita is full of wisdom worth to study, try and practice.
For western minded person, it might be difficult to read if you mind gets tangled with the Hindu deities names and places. Yet my words of encouragement would be: read on. Overall it's a short book I think it's more spiritual rather than religious nature.
May you struggle well with your dharma.
For western minded person, it might be difficult to read if you mind gets tangled with the Hindu deities names and places. Yet my words of encouragement would be: read on. Overall it's a short book I think it's more spiritual rather than religious nature.
May you struggle well with your dharma.
August 14, 2023
My $.02. Skip the introduction until you have read the meat of this book. It is very long, and much of what it says is already covered in the chapters. At more than 70 pages, the introduction really would be more beneficial as a reading exercise after reading the entire Bhagavad Gita. You can get lost in all of that history behind the introduction and lose interest/momentum, which is exactly what the introduction is hoping to not do. So, skip it, read it last, and you will have had a great time with this book.
Each of the Gita chapters is structured with an insightful introduction by the author/translator (Mr. Easwaran) and then followed by the actual translated text of that section of the Gita. It flows nicely and is very thoughtfully presented. Take it slowly. I spent 2 weeks reading it. Read a chapter and then think about what you have read. If you plow right through, you aren't going to get as much out of the experience of reading this spiritual text. Letting a section-or-two-or-three sit with you for a few hours/days after you read it, is helpful to truly understand what the Bhagavad Gita is trying to say. I have read the Gita before, as translated by Juan Mascaró, also a great translation. I enjoyed the reading of this version better as the structure was more suited to a slow methodic reading.
Also, after watching Oppenheimer, folks may want to read this book to understand what that whole "I am now become death, the destroyer of worlds" quote was all about. I can tell you that this quote is a climax of the Gita, but it is not the only one. There is just so much packed into this book that you will hit numerous high notes emotionally and intellectually and spiritually in your reading. This version has little different translation of this quote from Krishna than you heard in the movie, but I assure you that once you read it, you will agree that the translation by Easwaran in this version is actually better.
Each of the Gita chapters is structured with an insightful introduction by the author/translator (Mr. Easwaran) and then followed by the actual translated text of that section of the Gita. It flows nicely and is very thoughtfully presented. Take it slowly. I spent 2 weeks reading it. Read a chapter and then think about what you have read. If you plow right through, you aren't going to get as much out of the experience of reading this spiritual text. Letting a section-or-two-or-three sit with you for a few hours/days after you read it, is helpful to truly understand what the Bhagavad Gita is trying to say. I have read the Gita before, as translated by Juan Mascaró, also a great translation. I enjoyed the reading of this version better as the structure was more suited to a slow methodic reading.
Also, after watching Oppenheimer, folks may want to read this book to understand what that whole "I am now become death, the destroyer of worlds" quote was all about. I can tell you that this quote is a climax of the Gita, but it is not the only one. There is just so much packed into this book that you will hit numerous high notes emotionally and intellectually and spiritually in your reading. This version has little different translation of this quote from Krishna than you heard in the movie, but I assure you that once you read it, you will agree that the translation by Easwaran in this version is actually better.
January 21, 2026
There’s two facets to this. How well this translation works, and the Gita itself. I listened to this as an audiobook.
First, skip the introduction until you’ve finished the book. It works much better as an epilogue.
I really like how the chapters are structured, with the author giving context and an overview of the upcoming chapter. And then the actual translated chapter. This was one of my first audio books and it really helped follow along.
As someone who’s heard scattered bits and pieces of the Gita and the Mahabharata before, it felt nice to read primary source material and have greater context around the characters.
For the actual religious and spiritual arguments the Gita makes, I’m more conflicted. I’m agnostic, leaning towards being an atheist, and like other religious frameworks this requires you to have faith and accept things without there always being concrete proof.
Reincarnation in particular is a fundamental principle in the book.
That said, a lot of the behavioural advice the book gives are things I aspire to anyways. Being mindful of attachment, dispassionate about the results, and engaging with the world instead of withdrawing from it are IMO good things to work towards.
It’s complex enough, and interesting enough that I can see myself coming back to some chapters and re-reading them. Shorter than I expected and I’m glad I gave this a read.
First, skip the introduction until you’ve finished the book. It works much better as an epilogue.
I really like how the chapters are structured, with the author giving context and an overview of the upcoming chapter. And then the actual translated chapter. This was one of my first audio books and it really helped follow along.
As someone who’s heard scattered bits and pieces of the Gita and the Mahabharata before, it felt nice to read primary source material and have greater context around the characters.
For the actual religious and spiritual arguments the Gita makes, I’m more conflicted. I’m agnostic, leaning towards being an atheist, and like other religious frameworks this requires you to have faith and accept things without there always being concrete proof.
Reincarnation in particular is a fundamental principle in the book.
That said, a lot of the behavioural advice the book gives are things I aspire to anyways. Being mindful of attachment, dispassionate about the results, and engaging with the world instead of withdrawing from it are IMO good things to work towards.
It’s complex enough, and interesting enough that I can see myself coming back to some chapters and re-reading them. Shorter than I expected and I’m glad I gave this a read.
January 30, 2026
This is a very useful edition of the Bhagavad Gita, and the kind of resource one can keep coming back to. The Gita itself is relatively short, but each chapter has an introductory commentary which helps provide context for the translations and various philosophy concepts. The chapter intros also provide links to similar concepts in other major world religions, modern philosophers, even contemporary physics and astronomy.
Some of the middle chapters are rather esoteric, but I found the latter chapters actually quite practical. One merely has to look at almost any news headline these days to see Chapter 16 in action. Chapter 18 offers a summary of all the teachings to date, in practical and accessible terms. Themes of devotion, dharma (duty) and doing one's best without attachment to outcomes weave the whole thing together. Of course, this is not the kind of book that is one-and-done. I will be returning to it as I continue with my yoga teacher and personal spiritual journeys.
I wish I had seen the other users' comments about reading the introduction after the Gita, as that would have probably made more sense. Next time. Also, doing this book with a book club or discussion group would be beneficial in how to apply the teachings.
Some of the middle chapters are rather esoteric, but I found the latter chapters actually quite practical. One merely has to look at almost any news headline these days to see Chapter 16 in action. Chapter 18 offers a summary of all the teachings to date, in practical and accessible terms. Themes of devotion, dharma (duty) and doing one's best without attachment to outcomes weave the whole thing together. Of course, this is not the kind of book that is one-and-done. I will be returning to it as I continue with my yoga teacher and personal spiritual journeys.
I wish I had seen the other users' comments about reading the introduction after the Gita, as that would have probably made more sense. Next time. Also, doing this book with a book club or discussion group would be beneficial in how to apply the teachings.
January 31, 2026
Easwaran’s translation of this foundational text is the absolute best translation on the market! If you do not speak a language with any Sanskrit roots and wish to read the Gita with ease, this is the copy for you. I absolutely loved the translation, preface/introduction and contextual summaries ahead of each chapter. My experience reading the Gita would not have been nearly as profound without this version.
April 27, 2020
Great edition and well explained. Will certainly try to read this every day as it is one of the most profound spiritual stories about becoming better and achieving your own purpose without attachment.
August 15, 2022
A marvelous rendition of the Gita and its essence. The book talks about the meaning of self-awareness in daily life and the Karmic theory of cause and effect. A must-read for someone who is exploring consciousness and awareness.
August 6, 2024
Easwaran's chapter introductions and connections to spiritual thinkers, both Eastern and Western, were essential for me in understanding this text.
September 16, 2024
The spoiler is that you might realise your true self 🙂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2025
I liked the translator’s extensive notes and comments about the text
July 12, 2025
similar in morality to aristotle
October 21, 2025
Very good stuff applicable to anyone!!! Great translation and chapter intros.
January 25, 2026
An essential read for anyone.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews