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The Bhagavad Gita  By  cover art

The Bhagavad Gita

By: Eknath Easwaran
Narrated by: Paul Bazely
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Publisher's summary

The Bhagavad Gita, "The Song of the Lord", is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Easwaran's reliable and accessible version has consistently been the best-selling translation. Easwaran's introduction places the Gita in its historical setting and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. Chapter introductions give clear explanations of key concepts in that chapter. To listen to the scripture without the introductions, listeners should start at track 044. The Bhagavad Gita opens dramatically on a battlefield, as the warrior Arjuna turns in anguish to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental questions of life. But as Easwaran points out, the Gita is not what it seems - it's not a dialogue between two mythical figures at the dawn of Indian history. "The battlefield is a perfect backdrop, but the Gita's subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage" to live a life that is meaningful, fulfilling, and worthwhile. This audio recording is a complete and unabridged reading of Eknath Easwaran's book The Bhagavad Gita.

Narrated by Paul Bazely, an actor of Indian heritage and a longtime student of Easwaran. Music by Yann Stoneman.

©2007 The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation (P)2015 The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation

Critic reviews

"No one in modern times is more qualified - no, make that 'as qualified' - to translate the epochal classics of Indian spirituality than Eknath Easwaran. And the reason is clear. It is impossible to get to the heart of those classics unless you live them, and he did live them. My admiration of the man and his works is boundless." (Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions)
"For all of its profundity, Eknath Easwaran manages to translate the Gita in easy prose that neither panders nor obscures. Coupled with his thorough introduction, Easwaran’s version comes off on all the levels it should: as a guide to action, devotional scripture, a philosophical text, and inspirational reading." (Amazon.com Eastern Religion editor)

What listeners say about The Bhagavad Gita

Average customer ratings
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Content and narration reduced me to tears

I attempted to listen to classics of Indian spirituality but returned two audiobooks because I couldn't tolerate the narrators. One had a vaguely Texas accent and a mouthful of mush--which couldn't have been a more ridiculous match up of reader and material--and the other narrator read so slowly, I could hear him breathe and swallow . . . when he or I wasn't nodding off. Okay, I probably should have transcended my irritation, but I'm still only human.

This particular audiobook, however, could not be more wonderful. The translation itself is magnificent, and the introduction is educational, well-organized, and intimate--a perfect preparation for reading the Gita. It is more than an hour long, and I listened to it several times, entranced.

The narrator, an accomplished British actor, could not have been better. The publishers of the books I returned should take a lesson from him. He is articulate and easy to listen to. He nails the Indian accent when he occasionally switches to that as appropriate for the content.

I resonate with the teaching of Hinduism, and after visiting the country twice, I couldn't get a handle on it. That there are many gods and the form they take struck me as whimsical and imaginative. Now, understanding so much more about the philosophy, I have an entirely different and more serious perspective.

This can be a life-transforming book. You must read it if "only" as great world literature.

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142 people found this helpful

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Perfect introduction to the Gita

What did you love best about The Bhagavad Gita?

The way the audio book is structured. It begins with an lengthy introduction to the book as a whole and there is brief introduction to each chapter. After completion of the book with introduction the book repeats the Gita again but without the intro pieces. This is exactly what I wanted it to be, highly recommended.

Any additional comments?

I've been on audible for a long time and this is one of the most well-produced audiobooks that I have heard.

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63 people found this helpful

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Spiritual Enlightenment in a Recording

The Bhagavad Gita

Let me start by saying I give this book 5 stars across the board! Beautifully written and narrated, I especially loved the explanations at the beginning and prior to each chapter. This should be mandatory listening material!

I was literally blown away by the beauty of this book! But The Bhagavad Gita hardly needs me to praise it depths as it speaks for itself.

The narration was perfect, easy to listen to and understand and it didn't put me to sleep like many texts of this type might. In fact I was enthralled and couldnt stop listening!

I can see myself returning to listen to these texts again and again in the future. Its rare that I walk away feeling like a better person just from having this experience but thats the only way I describe it.

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Studying the Gita

This text is for studying the Gita. Great introduction, and great intros to each chapter, however....

Introductions to each chapter really break the listening flow. I would much rather have a full introduction, and then be able to listen to the Gita without interruption, which I could easily do if I had the book in hand. Here, you don't have the option. The introductions to the chapters are NOT separate from the text of the Gita itself. They are in the same chapters.

I really wish Audible gave us more options, like "Listen with Intros," or "Listen Without Intros." I know they have such options for Shakespeare. More care in chapter labeling in general would be appreciated.

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33 people found this helpful

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Pleased to see this available

What made the experience of listening to The Bhagavad Gita the most enjoyable?

I've enjoyed this particular edition of the Gita in print for years, and I'm glad to finally have it available as an audiobook. Great translation, great introductory/explanatory content throughout, well-written, and expertly narrated.

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24 people found this helpful

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Excellent translation and commentaries

Enjoyed this immensely. Brilliant, practical, inspiring information carefully translated to capture the essence of meaning or offered with explanation and estimations of the actual Sanskrit term when it is untranslatable. Very helpful.

The reader's performance is masterful in many ways. I would have given it 5 stars instead of 4 if I was not often disrupted by his emphasis of the wrong word in the sentence which significantly changes the meaning. Mr Bazely almost always emphasizes I, Me, and Mine when spoken by Krishna. So the essence of the instruction is minimized. I often had to stop the recording to repeat the instruction in my mind emphasizing the point, the new idea, before resuming.

Such beautiful wisdom in the words of the Gita! I also tremendously enjoyed introductory chapter. The notes and helpful glossary are not performed.

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19 people found this helpful

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The Gita

An enjoyable translation with good commentary. I especially enjoyed the later reading without commentary.
I would recommend this to anyone.

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A Learning Experience

This was a very interesting listen. It is eye opening and provides a deep look into other belief structures. As I listen to books of this type I hope to become more accepting and understanding of the world around me.

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15 people found this helpful

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Absolutely beautiful

This wonderful book truly satisfied what I was looking for. Elegant, informative, concise, and eye opening, are just a few words to describe this masterpiece and what it has offered me. I highly recommend it for anyone who is looking to expand their knowledge of spirituality and answer the questions, "Why are we here?" & "What is the meaning of Life?" Enjoy!

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13 people found this helpful

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A fantastic journey

This is a wonderful interpretation of one of the greatest spiritual texts of all time. It does a wonderful job of explaining the content of the Gita in terms anyone can understand. Each concept and reference often left in Sanskrit is given its English equivalent, so much less is lost in translation.

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11 people found this helpful