The Bhagavad-Gita
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend The dramatic moral crisis that is central to the "Bhagavad-Gita" has inspired centuries of Indian philosophers as well as Western thinkers. Renown translator Barbara Stoler Miller presents here a new English-language version of this exemplary text of Hindu culture. Product details and pricing info |
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26 Customer Reviews Posted
- Thanks for the TRANSLATION
- I have read numerous versions of the Bhagavad-Gita and this is my favorite. The first time I read the Gita this is the version that I read. Miller's version is not a religion 'lecture,' it is not a Sanskrit dictionary (though Miller is an expert), it is not a Hari Krishna* recruiting tool, nor is it the most complete version. What it is (to me) is the only version that allows me to read more than one chapter in a day and understand without getting a headache. When I want to take my time I will read Gandhi's Gita. *Any offense to Hari Krishnas is unintended.
- 2009-01-03, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Scholarly
- This is a respectable translation, but don't expect fluid reading as Sanskrit has more modality than English does.
- 2008-02-10, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- A fairly good translation.
- This is a fairly good translation. At the end is an interesting essay Why did Henry David Thoreau take the Bhagavad Gita to Walden Pond? Then there is a useful glossary. One thing lacking is an index. I would recommend buying instead a translation with an index, like Schweig's or Easwaran's. One strange thing about Miller's translation is all the sexism, like 'learned men', 'undiscerning men', 'wise men' etc., which is surprising for a woman translator. It is true that Sanskrit there has masculine nouns, but both sexes are meant. The reason is that in Sanskrit every noun has to be assigned a gender, and masculine is the default even when both sexes are meant, like in Spanish, German etc.
- 2007-10-19, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- A beatiful translation for the Gita
- This is a rather good translation for the Gita, it's not as beautiful as the translation by Srila Prabhupada, but it's still pretty good, especially for someone just learning about Sanatana Dharma.
Jai Radhe-Madhava! - 2007-08-09, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Pointless translation
- I got my hands on this 'pocket-'book by chance about 14 years ago and what a disappointment it was then! There is no Sanskrit, yoga is translated as !discipline!.. Did Ms. Miller have a clue about what she was doing other than make some money? Now that I have read translations by Sri Yogananda and Prabhupada, I have the ability to comment on it further.
The Bhagavad Gita is not a simple set of words to be translated, this is a philosophy of life in sutra form-absolutely condensed so it could be passed down by guru to disciple by word of mouth. The guru transfers the knowledge not only by recitation but by showing actual practise.
So, Ms. Miller has no qualification to translate other than knowledge of a language which can be picked up by a 10 year old. Even a 10 year old would do a better job at translating 'yoga'. - 2007-02-06, 2 of 10 people found this review helpful, Rated:
