The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi

Author: Mahatma Gandhi

Between February 24 and November 27, 1926, Gandhi devoted much of his time to translating the Gita from Sanskrit into his native Gujarati. As a result, he met with his followers almost daily, after morning prayer sessions, to discuss the Gita's contents and meaning as it unfolded before him. This book is the transcription of those daily sessions.

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The "Bhagavad Gita, "also called "The Song of the Lord, "is a 700-line section of a much longer Sanskrit war epic, the "Mahabharata, "about the legendary conflict between two branches of an Indian ruling family. Framed as a conversation between Krishna, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, and a general of one of the armies, the "Gita "is written in powerful poetic language meant to be chanted. Equally treasured as a guide to action, a devotional scripture, a philosophical text, and inspirational reading, it remains one of the world's most influential, widely read spiritual books. " The Bhagavad Gita According to Gandhi "is based on talks given by Gandhi between February and November 1926 at the Satyagraha Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. During this time—a period when Gandhi had withdrawn from mass political activity—he devoted much of his time and energy to translating the "Gita "from Sanskrit into his native Gujarati. As a result, he met with his followers almost daily, after morning prayer sessions, to discuss the "Gita"'s contents and meaning as it unfolded before him. This book is the transcription of those daily sessions.

About the Author

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian Independence movement. Born in 1869 in British India, he was the pioneer of Satyagraha--a philosophy that is concerned with truth and resistance to evil through active, non-violent resistance. He led India to independence from Britain and inspired movements for freedom and civil rights around the world. Gandhi lived a simple life, organizing an ashram that was self sufficient and even made his own clothes. He lived on a vegetarian diet and later on a fruitarian diet. He often underwent long fasts, for both self purification and for protest. He was assassinated in 1948 in New Delhi, India.

This book is edited by John Strohmeier, who has edited numerous books by Gandhi, and includes an introduction by Michael Nagler, Professor emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature at UC, Berkeley, where he has taught since 1966 and where he founded the Peace and Conflict Studies Program.