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A review by victoriakleinco
Bhagavad Gita: The Beloved Lord's Secret Love Song by Graham M. Schweig
5.0
Let me start by saying this is the first full version of the Bhagavad Gita that I’ve ever read, so I can’t make any comparisons to other translations. I have read many quotes from the text, but this is the first time I’ve read the whole Gita beginning to end.
That being said, this translation & brief commentary by Graham Schweig is phenomenal!
I liken reading the Bhagavad Gita to reading Shakespeare - the text is rich with meaning, though it may be tough to grasp without extra insight. Schweig does a great job of providing a little bit of guidance while you let the text speak for itself. The final appendix, titled “On This Translation”, explains Schweig’s means of translating the ancient text & I highly appreciate how he did everything he could to maintain the text’s integrity & complexity when presenting it in English.
Having studied & practiced many of yoga’s core concepts, reading the Gita is a natural extension of delving deeper into the world of yoga. The Gita adds a much richer concept of what yoga is, compared to just reading the Yoga Sutras (such as [b:The Yoga Sutras|56305|The Yoga Sutras|Patanjali|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344675495s/56305.jpg|54873] & [b:The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras|361873|The Secret Power of Yoga A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras|Nischala Joy Devi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320430584s/361873.jpg|351969]).
Whether you’ve had an introduction to yoga or not, Schweig does a wonderful job making the Gita understandable - and you’ll likely be even more curious about yoga afterward! I can easily see myself reading & referring to this translation for many decades
Note: The Gita is a beautiful book for folks of all faiths to read, whether they consider themselves yogis or not. If you have devoted yourself to a particular religion or faith, keep an open mind when you read this book. Krishna, who is the highest God in the Hindu religion, can easily be seen as the God you have chosen to worship. Each religion has their own version of “the highest power”, but more often than not, they are preaching the same message: love one another & leave the Earth better than you found it.
What is your favorite translation of the Bhagavad Gita?
That being said, this translation & brief commentary by Graham Schweig is phenomenal!
I liken reading the Bhagavad Gita to reading Shakespeare - the text is rich with meaning, though it may be tough to grasp without extra insight. Schweig does a great job of providing a little bit of guidance while you let the text speak for itself. The final appendix, titled “On This Translation”, explains Schweig’s means of translating the ancient text & I highly appreciate how he did everything he could to maintain the text’s integrity & complexity when presenting it in English.
Having studied & practiced many of yoga’s core concepts, reading the Gita is a natural extension of delving deeper into the world of yoga. The Gita adds a much richer concept of what yoga is, compared to just reading the Yoga Sutras (such as [b:The Yoga Sutras|56305|The Yoga Sutras|Patanjali|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344675495s/56305.jpg|54873] & [b:The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras|361873|The Secret Power of Yoga A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras|Nischala Joy Devi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320430584s/361873.jpg|351969]).
Whether you’ve had an introduction to yoga or not, Schweig does a wonderful job making the Gita understandable - and you’ll likely be even more curious about yoga afterward! I can easily see myself reading & referring to this translation for many decades
Note: The Gita is a beautiful book for folks of all faiths to read, whether they consider themselves yogis or not. If you have devoted yourself to a particular religion or faith, keep an open mind when you read this book. Krishna, who is the highest God in the Hindu religion, can easily be seen as the God you have chosen to worship. Each religion has their own version of “the highest power”, but more often than not, they are preaching the same message: love one another & leave the Earth better than you found it.
What is your favorite translation of the Bhagavad Gita?