The Bhagavad Gita is a poem, actually a song, which contains the conversation between Lord Krishna and a young prince, Arjuna, this is faced with having to battle his brother over the kingdom that both want to rule. However, on the battlefield, Arjuna is torn between going to war, which he knows will result in the death of his friends, esteemed gurus and family and simply going away to allow peace in the kingdom.
However, going away means walking away from his duty, even though the path to completing his duty seems to include violence and death, which are very much against his teachings and beliefs. Through the conversation with Lord Krishna, Arjuna works through the duality and dilemmas that are common for all people in the decisions that they have to make on regular basis.
The Bhagavad Gita is considered to be an expression of universal truth in a format that in non-sectarian and designed to be read by anyone that seeks personal understanding and truth.
Is it Religious in Message?
Although the Bhagavad Gita is a very important work as part of the full epic poem, the Mahabharata, it is not just for those that follow the Hindu religion. As it is universal in nature it was written for anyone of any faith or secular philosophy to read the book and gain a deeper understanding of who they are and how they can achieve personal peace and happiness.
Translation of the Bhagavad Gita
The first translation of the Bhagavad Gita into English was done in 1785. It was completed by Charles Wilkins of London, England and it was very well received throughout the United Kingdom and other English speaking countries.
Shortly after, in 1823 the Bhagavad Gita was translated from the original Sanskrit in Latin, then into German, French and Greek by the year 1848. The Bhagavad Gita is now available in Dutch, Gujarati, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian.
The Bhagavad Gita is an amazing historical work that continues to be relevant, inspiring and personally important to readers of all different religions and walks of live. It has been read and studied by scholars over the world and continues to be relevant and important in discovering universal truths today.
The Bhagavad Gita is a discussion of the dilemmas that all people face and how to find peace and happiness in following a path to divine understanding. For more information on this valuable resource visit our website at www.gita-society.com.