You know what’s great about Hindu texts? Hinduism doesn’t discourage translation and retellings. For years I struggled with the Ramayana, but then I found a very cinematic retelling, and now it’s one of my favorite religious texts. I’ve had the same problem with Bhagavad Gita. I never could engage with it, despite it being part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. So, when a publicist reached out to me about reviewing a new translation and interpretation of the Gita, I jumped at the chance.
What I received was “Gita: A Timeless Guide for Our Time” translated by Isaac Bentwich M.D.
This Gita translation was a passion project for Bentwich, who devoted 12 years to creating an accessible version of the 700 verse Sanskrit scripture. Firstly, he obviously translated the text to English. Moreover, he worked to create and keep a rhyming scheme to keep with the poetic nature of the source material. Also, each chapter features a short introduction from Bentwich where he shares his thoughts on the message of the text.
The Gita, including Bentwich’s version, is narrative told as a conversation between Prince Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna. Throughout their talks we learn about dharma, karma, and basically, the heart of Hindu spirituality. Bentwich’s “Gita: A Timeless Guide for Our Time” is the PERFECT Gita for beginners, with enough work put into it to make the first, and last copy of the text you’ll ever need.
If you’ve a minute and a half to spare, here’s a nice video about it.
You can learn more here.
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