Review of 'The Song of God Bhagavad Gita' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Prince Arjuna finds himself unable to engage in a battle involving dear family members on both sides. His charioteer, Krishna, who also happens to be the Supreme Lord of the Universe, gives him a pep talk. Such is the backdrop for the "Song of the Lord," both a religious text in the sense that it insists on worship of Krishna as the ultimate Lord, and a philosophical one, in that it describes in great detail a way to lead's one life unshackled to suffering. This reminded me of Stoicism, especially in Marcus Aurelius. It is not right to refuse to act, to withdraw from life. One must do what is right for himself, but without selfish attachment to the outcome. Indeed, your innermost Self, who you really are, is immune to the outcome, good or bad. And this Self is Universal. Every creature shares this innermost Self. Therefore, treat everyone, …
Prince Arjuna finds himself unable to engage in a battle involving dear family members on both sides. His charioteer, Krishna, who also happens to be the Supreme Lord of the Universe, gives him a pep talk. Such is the backdrop for the "Song of the Lord," both a religious text in the sense that it insists on worship of Krishna as the ultimate Lord, and a philosophical one, in that it describes in great detail a way to lead's one life unshackled to suffering. This reminded me of Stoicism, especially in Marcus Aurelius. It is not right to refuse to act, to withdraw from life. One must do what is right for himself, but without selfish attachment to the outcome. Indeed, your innermost Self, who you really are, is immune to the outcome, good or bad. And this Self is Universal. Every creature shares this innermost Self. Therefore, treat everyone, and every creature, with kindness. I'm reminded of Jesus's words in Matthew 22:37-39: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"
I was struck by the description of Krishna's true nature as revealed to Arjuna, containing all the Gods, the Sun and Moon, the Universe, everything. The image of the warriors running into him like moths to a flame was particularly striking. This image must have had a similar impact on Robert Oppenheimer, as he quoted from this passage after witnessing the first atomic bomb test.
Finally there are some good models of the mind to ponder, such as the gunas sattva, rajas, and tamas. These reminded me of Plato's division of the mind into three parts, the philosopher, the lion, and the monster, though they are not exactly the same, and Krishna asserts the gunas are to be acknowledged as natural forces and transcended.
This particular edition (I have not read any others) comes with an extensive overall introduction, interesting chapter introductions, notes, and a helpful glossary. I'd be interested to try the other volumes in the series.
