Bhagavad Gita

The Hindu tradition does not have a central holy book like the Bible or Koran, but the text that comes closest is the Bhagavad Gita-which is translated in English as the Song of God. As part of a spiritual tradition known for its massive epics and metaphysical expositions, the Gita expounds and encapsulates the essential aspects of Hindu philosophy and spiritual teachings in a mere 700+ verses. It has, however, been extracted from the longest Hindu epic, the Mahabarata, but except for the first chapter, the Gita does not develop the story line of the Mahabarata, nor does it share its general style and focus. For this reason, scholars speculate it was originally an independent text inserted into the Mahabarata at a later date. In any case, it exists on its own now. The backdrop for the Gita is a battlefield during the Mahabarata War, which is dated around 1000 BC, against which is presented an intense conversation between a famous warrior, Arjuna, and Lord Krishna, in the form of his charioteer. It is speculated the Bhagavad Gita was written around 600 BC, with authorship being attributed to the sage Vyasa. My personal relationship with the Gita began several decades ago when I was reading massive amounts of spiritual literature. My first reading was particularly memorable for me because even though I had no real understanding of the teachings, at several points I began weeping. Fast forward to 2004 when a conclusive spiritual occurrence ended my 37-year quest for "enlightenment." In the aftermath I found I could easily see and understand what the masters of the past were trying to teach, but that the myriad translations and misinterpretations of their works were obscuring the simplicity and obviousness of it. Next thing I know I'm doing my own translations/versions of these ancient works, which resulted in The Perennial Way. Among the comments I received about that book were people asking that I also do the Bhagavad Gita, and so I did. It has been a true joy revisiting this great work. And yes, it still has the power to make me weep.