Gandhi found this translation of the Gita to be the best he was able to find. Little more need be said.

The Bhagavadgita is one of the world's true classics of literature. Since it is not part of "western culture" it is often not included in the curriculum of school in the US, much to our loss. This translation is one of the most common, and the Dover edition is incredibly affordale. Being abridged, it is not a text for scholarly studies, but instead provides a great introduction to wisdom from the east... Highly recommended for students and casual readers.

Bhagvad Gita is a Wonderful Poem in Indian Literature (Sanskrit language). But given the fact that this language is no longer spoken (just like Latin), the contents of the great works such as Bhagvad Gita have to be read in translated forms.

Sir Arnold's translation is in poetic form, unlike most translations, which are mainly prose.

It makes for a concise reading, without really missing the the essence.

The Gita is my Manager, and I have personally benefitted immensely in dealing with main daily life sitiuations both in family and work. It has made a profound diference to my decision making ability qand leadership qualities.

I sincerely hope that every ambitious person takes time to read this and beenfit from the relevant parts of the text.

One of the best books on a philosophical discussion of various religions of the world. The author is probably the most respected philosopher who bridged the gaps in Eastern and Western philosophy.

a comparision of eastern religions and their influence on western thought

1) The best feature of this book is: it has the actual texts of so many great works like Vedas, Upanishads, Gita etc. For this one reason itself, it is a must have book, where else will you get such a concise and precise translations of all the major Indian texts all in one place.

2) It deals extensively not only with Upanishads and other six Darshanas but also includes Arth Shastra by Kautilya(Chanakya), the famous Indian economist/politician (contemporary to Alexander). It also included Bhagvat Gita and the famous Karma Yoga, as one would expect in any Indian philosophy book!

3) It summarizes the key-features of all the seemingly different Indian philosophies Buddhism/Jainism/Charvaka/Hinduism very succintly in the first chapter. I particularly liked the seven key similarities of Indian thought on page xxiii from the general introduction.

4) Another interesting part is on page xxx where the authors argue why one should undertake the study of Indian philosophy and how should it be taken. It takes historical, political and philosophical stand-points. Again, a must read!

4) One flaw of the book is that they have kind of assumed whole-heartedly with the Aryan Invasion Theory stating that Aryans came from outside India and settled in India around 2000 bc. However, this theory is seriously debated by many contemporary scholars like Prof Edwin Bryant (PhD from Columbia, now teaching at Rutgers), Prof Klaus Klostermaier (author of many Hinduism books, one of which was assigned reading in this class too, retired from Univ of Manitoba, Canada, now teaching at Oxford, UK), Prof Subhash Kak etc. Some of these scholars maintain that Aryans were native inhabitants of India who went to other parts of the world, starting from India. But, it is still a big controvery until solid evidences are found.

5) Other problem is: on page xxix, it is mentioned that the people from the varna, Shudra (sudra), are not religiously initiated Hindus and they dont have to undergo the four Aashrams (stages) of the human-life. This is also not agreeable statement as the same Manu-Smriti which has stated this has also stated elsewhere, that one becomes Dvija(twice born) of the first there varnas, ONLY by character and not just by birth alone. It prescribes the mobility between different varnas.

Anyone like Krshna? This book, full of Sanskrit and Pali terms, not only expands the mind with new vocabulary, but adds a whole new dimension to the field of thought and understanding. If anyone wants a taste of Eastern Philosophy at its most difficult level, this is the book to read.

If you were compiling a library for yourself and wanted a companion to Feynman's lectures in Physics and Knuth's books on Algorithms this may well be it. It is a high level AND practical book on how to live your life. Dr. Radhakrishnan presents a profound yet lucid theory - quite contrary to the abstract sophistry of a Plato.