When Love Comes to Light: Bringing Wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita to Modern Life

by Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor

Eminent yoga teachers Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor explore essential lessons from The Bhagavad Gita to reveal a practical guide for living in today's complex world.The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most influential and widely recognized ancient texts in Indian epic literature. Through the telling of the story and its many different philosophical teachings, the text provides deep insight into how to meet life's inevitable challenges while remaining open, clear, and compassionate. It offers modern day wisdom seekers a framework for understanding our core beliefs and who we really are--revealing the fact that healthy relationships to others and the world are essential to living a full, compassionate, balanced life. Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor, both deeply respected yogic teachers, offer a practical, immediately relevant interpretation that emphasizes self-reflection and waking up in our modern world.Following the traditional sequence of teachings in The Bhagavad Gita--from its opening scene in which Arjuna finds himself in the middle of a battlefield, hesitating and trapped between opposing sides, torn by his dharma and confused by the various paths of action he might choose in the process of awakening--Freeman and Taylor interweave insight into how these classic teachings are relevant for modern readers struggling with what it means to live responsibly in the twenty-first century. With quotes, citations, and a full translation of the original text, they look at the overall arc of the The Bhagavad Gita's teachings and how that relates to the turmoil that arises, not only for Arjuna, but for any of us in the face of crises of conscience, spirit, and form. Exploring the essential themes such as love, wisdom, and karma, and by offering embodiment exercises to apply the teachings, When Love Comes to Light guides readers in the step-by-step process of waking up their intelligence and finding a path toward compassionate action.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality, Philosophy

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2020

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Reviews

[jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will totally own that these are two white yoga and meditation teachers writing a book about an ancient text to me: a white lady. That being said, this is a great way to apply the principles and lessons from the Gītā to Western thought. I loved this translation because of that and definitely gained new applications of the text; this is probably my fifth time reading a version of the Gītā. As an ashtanga yoga practitioner, there’s also so much to apply to the practice as Freeman and Taylor are OGs. I love how discerning and humble they communicate all they’ve learned. You definitely don’t need to be a yogi to read this. So many takeaways.

[Anya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita, written eloquently and accessibly. The first half of the book is the interpretation and the second half is the original Sanskrit plus his English translation, chapter by chapter, so I read back and forth for each part and tried to leave thinking and processing time in between. There is a lot in here, and I will definitely read it again (maybe next year) as some of the philosophical concepts are very hard to practice in real life (it’s a lifelong practice!)
Highly recommended, especially for those on the yoga path.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita that I have read. It helps that I was really mentally ready to read, pause, ponder, reread, reflect and enjoy. I have studied the work of Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor since the infancy of my yoga practice. I appreciate the reflections on narcissism and theism. At times I chuckled to myself as I interpreted their application to current realities. This is a library book that I would like to own so that I can turn down corners, underline phrases and sprinkle liberally with smiley faces and interjections.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very good. I'll leave it to other to provide a detailed review. I'll just say that the authors have done a nice job of bring the Gita up to date and providing explanation and context, especially if you've never read the Gita. Even if you have, you may get a deeper understanding. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright book. Wish that it had more commentary as some of my other translations.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard Freeman does a beautiful job of explaining the important philosophical themes in this book. Half of the book is the translated text itself.

[Martha Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Very clear commentary, beautiful translation.