Readings/Recordings for
Exploring the Gita

Required Reading: There are many translations of The Bhagavad Gita, each with its own commentary and interpretation. We will be using Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s translation, which covers the first six chapters. On the list below you will find suggestions for your study of the other chapters. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita : A New Translation and Commentary, Chapters 1-6 Supplemental Reading: Winthrop Sargeant's translation of The Bhagavad Gita contains a preface which gives a wonderfully concise version of the Mahabharata story and the events leading up the the Bhagavad Gita War. This is also a good, clear translation of the chapters of theGita not covered in Maharishi's version. Swami Nikhilananda, Bhagavad Gita: Pocket Edition is another good translation that is very much in line with our own lineage of Vedic study, and that has an abridged version of the Mahabharata story as a preface. (For our Los Angeles meditators, this book is available locally at Vedanta Bookstore, Hollywood.) Deepak Chopra has done a very nice recording of most of the Gita's 13 chapters. It's a painless way to become used to the language and will give you yet another way to interpret the work: Sacred Verses, Healing Sounds, Volumes I and II: The Bhagavad Gita, Hymns of the Rig Veda It would also be good to read a bit of the Mahabharata, the "history of Great India," or at least a synopsis of same (as referred to above) in order to get a perspective on what the Gita is, in that the Gita appears as its central chapter. For a general overview, see Wikipedia, or Dept. of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee William Buck's translation is one of the first truly accessible to Westerners; Ramesh Menon has a recently published version in two volumes that is quite readable, though also quite long. This link is to the recently published Volume One in paperback. (Volume One covers everything up to and somewhat beyond The Bhagavad Gita.) The two volume set is available at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore. Another reading we recommend (though not necessarily for this journey) is The Brahma Sutras. These writings, along with the Gita, are two of the foundations of Vedic knowledge. The translation we recommend, by Swami Sivananda, is available for free download. Just follow the link. (It is also worth noting, as an aside, that the best Ganges swimming takes place from the Sivananda Ghat ["ghat" = a stairway leading down to a landing on the water], directly in front of the Sivananda Ashram.)