The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda as Remembered by His Disciple

by Paramahansa Yogananda, Kriyananda

Rarely in a lifetime does a new spiritual classic appear that has the power to change people's lives and transform future generations. This is such a book. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda shares the profound insights of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, as remembered by one of his few remaining direct disciples, Swami Kriyananda. This revelation of India's best-loved scripture approaches it from an entirely fresh perspective, showing its deep allegorical meaning and also its down-to-earth practicality. The themes presented are universal: how to achieve victory in life in union with the divine; how to prepare for life's "final exam," death, and what happens afterward; how to triumph over all pain and suffering. This book is itself a triumph. Swami Kriyananda worked with Paramhansa Yogananda in 1950 while the Master completed his commentary. At that time Yogananda commissioned him to disseminate his teachings world-wide. Kriyananda has in his lifetime lectured, taught, and written eighty-five books based on Yogananda's teachings. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Kriyananda's eighty-sixth book, is the crowning achievement of his highly productive life. In this, his masterpiece, he declares, "Yogananda's insights into the Gita are the most amazing, thrilling, and helpful of any I have ever read."

Genres: Spirituality, Philosophy, Religion, Hinduism, Nonfiction, Reference, Unfinished

555 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Paramahansa Yogananda (Bengali: পরমহংস যোগানন্দ Pôromohôngsho Joganondo, Sanskrit: परमहंस योगानं‍द Paramahaṃsa Yogānaṃda), born Mukunda Lal Ghosh (Bengali: মুকুন্দ লাল ঘোষ Mukundo Lal Ghosh), was an Indian yogi and guru who introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and Kriya Yoga through his book, Autobiography of a Yogi .

Reviews

[bad · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a commentary from the vedantic perspective on the bhagavad gita, which is a devotional accounting of the mahabarata, the great war of indian myth/legend between arjuna's family. the gita focuses on krishna's advice to arjuna as he shies back from wanting to kill any soldiers of the wicked army, all of whom are also his kin. this commentary treats the battle as an allegory for the spiritual struggle of the soul on the path of yoga, relating the forces on both sides to the psychological members of the human consciousness. the gita provides guidance and insight for the yoga practitioner, and this commentary presents it in an understandable and enjoyable style. this is a great book about yoga, spirit, god, and man, and how they relate to each other.

[Ryan]

It seems that every different translation of the Gita approaches commentary from a specific religious interpretation. The commentator usually isn't up-front about what sect they're trying to indoctrinate you into, and they usually don't tell you that this is just one of several interpretations, instead implicitly presenting theirs as the "authoritative" version.

The commentary here is useful, and mostly emphasizes the "Gita as metaphor for internal struggle toward purification" angle. It certainly does contain plenty of good advice toward that end. Though it acknowledges that any spiritual text operates on many levels simultaneously, it goes as far as to append in parenthesis the purported allegorical meaning of each name that comes up.

It's hard to put my finger on exactly what turned me off of this version— I mean, the Gita is still intact in there— but for some reason I liked the version from AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada better. Even though that one tries to turn you into a Hare Krishna! Perhaps it's easier to ignore the spin in that case, and get to the meat of the text? At least that edition clearly delimits the original sanskrit, sanskrit translation, english transliteration, and english translation, making it much easier to skip the exposition.

[Kevin Bello · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this Gita translation at all. I felt that many of my own personal favourite verses have been totally changed due to their metaphorical interpretation to fit the Kriya Yoga bill.

Having read translations such as Arnold's, Prabhupad's, Srila Sridhar Maharaj's, and Eknath Easwaran's, I have to say that this Gita translation did not fulfill me one bit. The the middle of reading the translation, I donated it to a local used book store.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A go-to guide for exploring the links between east and west as it relates to understanding the Bhagavad Gita. It goes in depth on the Gita, but also connects the concepts to everything from Jesus to Kant or Augustine and is always insightful and prolific.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and thought provoking book. I have been reading approximately 10 pages a day since I bought it in mid-January. I was killing time in a book store on a morning when I had a Dr's. appointment. I wasn't planning to be anything. Yet, this book called to me, held my attention, I vacillated for a while because I really didn't want to spend any money and I didn't want to add another book to my stack of books I am reading or trying to get to. Yet, I kept returning to it. I enjoyed the process of reading it. Thought I'm not certain, at the end, that it had done anything for me for my trouble.

I have been reading the Bhagavad Gita since I was in high school, 30 plus years ago. It has a calming effect on me the way that few things can. So, why argue with what works?

I even started memorizing it when I was an undergraduate but only got a few pages into it.

The notes in this edition are particularly interesting because the author was raised in a Christian home. He makes lots of references to Christ and the Bible. My favorite translation of the Bhagavad Gita was a vintage edition that I lost along the way.

I recommend anybody to read this just to see if it makes him or her feel good.

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book by Swami Kriyananda. I believe it is his masterpiece. He does an absolutely superb job of explaining the Hindu "Bible", the Bhagavad Gita, as he learned at the feet of the great avatar, Paramhansa Yogananda. More importantly, he applies those lessons to daily life, making the book very practical and potentially life changing. This is a long book without seeming long. It was a very easy and quick read for me. I couldn't put it down. I recommend it for anyone seeking truth.

[Tandava Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really one of my absolute top choice "desert island" books, probably second only to Autobiography of a Yogi. It seems that absolutely every aspect of the spiritual path is covered here, and as always, Swami Kriyananda's masterful presentation of his guru's teachings are a joy to read. Read this book if you want to learn the true, practical, spiritual application of the Bhagavad Gita.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes with me on all my travels! Explains wisdom of the Gita as it applies to today's world. And, gives comparisons and explanations in/of the Bible. An excellent book and, easy to understand. The stanzas are given and then explained. A must read.. Try a book study.

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro chiaro ,fondamentale. Non può bastare la prima lettura. Infatti lo sto ricoominciato oggi ,2/9/2016. È un libro per tutta la vita, come la Bibbia. Ma va messo in pratica.

[Robert Ongley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has given me a great sense of accomplishment to read this important scripture. There's a tremendous amount of wisdom and spiritual guidance.

I read much of this concurrently with another famous interpretation to compare them. Near the end, I stopped reading the other one and completed this one only because I prefer Swami Kriyananda's (and thus Yogananda's) explanation. It has a broader view of the Gita and is more accessible or down to earth. The one criticism I have of it is Kriyananda's insertion of paranthetical phrases which tend to change the meaning of a passage. Much of the time I tried to just read it without looking at the added phrases.

In the end, I'm grateful for this interpretation and I'm glad I read it.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this slowly over a very long period of time and was entranced by a lot of what yogananda had to say but was also very put off by some of his more archaic thoughts and ideas about society. particularly interesting to me is his talks about kriya yoga and about the actual parts of the Gita as written. yogananda digresses a lot in this which is understandable with these texts just as Bhaktivedanra’s commentaries, but yogananda seems to digress a bit further and more often. would also consider Yogananda’s commentary to be more of a mystical approach to the Gita than others i have read

[S. Ferguson · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF: Not only is it disorganized, but I had to put it down after it started bashing other religions. I thought Hinduism was more open than claiming that all other religions are wrong. Perhaps it’s the Western influence the author has. In any case, it didn’t sound like Yogananda’s words to me (I’ve read Autobiography of a Yogi). It also uses generic masculine pronouns, which is a personal pet peeve and makes it hard for female readers to connect.

[Hetal Sonpal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collectible. This is a re-read. This is a classic.
Still trying to find words on what to say about this book. As Indians, we all know the Bhagavad Gita, and its importance. However, interpreting the verses from the book is always a daunting task. If you do not go to the depths, you do not get the true meaning. This book does this admirably well.
The language is simple, the examples are very relevant and well explained.
Must Must Must read

[Sachin Gopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you really want to understand what the verses mean in detail, read this book. I found this book way better than books from Eswaran and Swamy Rama. Explained beautifully without any mumbo jumbo, this is a book for keep. I have an audible book but I'm definately going to keep hardcover edition in my library.

[Steven J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great spiritual guide!! It breaks down the allegories in the great Indian Epic ‘The Bhagavad Gita’ in an easy and concise way. This book makes for better understanding of yoga and meditation. Great guide for those on the path.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just such a beautiful, nourishing book. I loved listening to it because Paramahansa Yogananda reads it and you can feel his gentleness and love. One part I loved from it is him explaining how much more lovely and enjoyable everything is when you do it along with God. When you include God in that.

[Katherine Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suggest reading Autobiography of a Yogi and The Bible first in order to better understand the correlations of Paramhansa Yogananda teachings to the author and the allegorical similarities between the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita.

[Luiz Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

versão comentada

[Alessia Moschetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meraviglioso, insegna come imparare ad amarsi e a dare valore alla propria vita

[David Kretzmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very powerful book.

[Sriram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bhagavad Gita is always a treasure to read

[Pulkit · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Lord's Song" is an inspiration for everyone, whether it is to seek inspiration on how to fight the battles of life or on the different paths to the highest goal and therein lies the beauty of the Gita. There are many different translations and like any true scripture it has many different shades of meaning and hence different people have given it their own twist, but as they say the truth is one but the wise call it by many names, it is to be expected with a scripture as widely loved and read. There are some references to the Bible and points of similarities between the two and so it will be interesting for some of the Western readers( Swami Kriyananda was himself raised in a Christian household). I think if you are truly looking for answers to life's various perplexing questions, the Bhagavad Gita, this version among a few others, can truly inspire your mind with a certain clarity of thought and purpose, and can also become one of those constant companions which can dispense pearls of wisdom and insight when you need it.

[Kushal Kushlendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interpretation of divine message is from a very different angle. Must for a seeker.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this the first time around, but I'm going to have to re-read this since I read it with a friend over the phone, and finished it on my own, not quite grasping every single concept. I know it's the "essence" of the Gita, but I'm going to compare this to Easwaran's edition. I get the gist of the book's teachings, but I want to see why they were interpreted this way by Paramhansa Yogananda.

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good, readable, authoritative, English commentary on the 7,000 yr. old text, written by a Hindu yogi. It has many similarities to the LDS and other Christian teachings.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too convoluted and difficult to follow - clearly shows it wasn't written by Yogananda himself.

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives insight in to this core of the Hindu faith from the perspective of a Western devotee. He brings to bear many comparisons to Christianity to help the Western reader's understanding.

[V Narayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb except for The introduction without Bhakti & Faith