Isaac Bentwich, MD: The Ageless Wisdom of The New Gita
Isaac Bentwich M.D. is a longtime practitioner and teacher of Yoga and Meditation. Trained as a physician and a scientist, he has founded three life-science technology companies, leading revolutions in medicine, genomics, and environmental conservation, and he now heads Innovation Center at Technion, recognized as one of the top-ten innovative universities in the world. The vision and innovations that underlie the companies he founded came through periods of silent meditation retreats at the foothills of the Himalayas and in the Galilee. His path is one of reverence to the Wisdom teachings that shine through different traditions and religions. The study and practice of Gita’s Wisdom teachings have profoundly touched his life, and he is passionate about sharing this with others. His work on this translation of the Bhagavad Gita spanned twelve years.
The Ageless Wisdom of The New Gita
The Bhagavad Gita presents a synthesis of Hindu ideas about dharma, theistic bhakti, and the yogic ideals of moksha. The text covers jnana, bhakti, karma, and Raja Yoga (spoken of in the 6th chapter) incorporating ideas from the Samkhya-Yoga philosophy. It is just incredible that such an old text can bring elucidations into situations in our Modern lifestyle.
The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Sanskrit scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, is a dialogue between a disciple and master. The disciple, Indian prince Arjuna, is called to fight a defensive battle against vicious family members who are out to kill him. Shaken by the moral dilemma, he seeks the counsel of his teacher and friend, Krishna, who is also God incarnate. With this dramatic battlefield backdrop, the master leads the prince from the worldly starting point of the prince’s despondency to a captivating, brilliantly clear account of the meaning of life, the source of suffering, and the paths to happiness and self-fulfillment.
Interview with Isaac Bentwich, MD. translator of Gita: A Timeless Guide for Our Time
OMTIMES: Why do you think that the Bhagavad Gita has been such a revered spiritual text for over two and a half millennia? What makes it timeless?
Isaac Bentwich M.D: The Gita (formally Bhagavad Gita, meaning Divine Song) is one of the world’s most trusted guides for happiness, meditation, and inner spiritual growth. It eloquently captures not only the core of Indian philosophy but also the spiritual essence of all religions and schools of inner development. Aldus Huxley called this common essence “the ‘Perennial Philosophy.’ It sounds like a tall order but is accurate. Strikingly, the Gita is further unique in that it manages to capture and convey these deepest truths: (i) through a simple, direct, eye-level dialogue, (ii) in a melodious poetic form, which speaks to one’s intuition and heart, and helps avoid over-intellectualization, and (iii) while retaining a pragmatic, down-to-earth approach. Gita is suitable for living in the world, here and now. Across centuries, across continents and cultures, these unique aspects of the Gita have made it relevant and uplifting for countless spiritual seekers and have inspired and captivated some of the world’s greatest creative minds: scientists, thought-leaders, poets, and spiritual teachers.
OMTIMES: What is the history of the Gita?
Isaac Bentwich, M.D: The Gita is dated around 500 BC and is broadly recognized as the highest scripture of Indian philosophy. As an example, Yogananda — a recognized master pioneer who brought yoga, meditation and Indian philosophy to the West — says “Gita is India’s scripture of scriptures, the most beloved scripture of India, the one book that all masters depend upon.”
Alongside the Bible and Koran, it is one of the world’s most printed and read books. It is Comprising merely 700 verses, in song format, it is recognized as capturing the essence of all of the voluminous scriptures of India — the Vedas, Upanishads, and Mahabharata (over 110,000 verses combined). Though technically a part of the Mahabharata, a colossal Hindu epic, it is considered independent of it. It was first translated into English in 1785 (Wilkins) and later in 1885 (Sir Arnold), with well over a hundred translations to English to date and hundreds of commentaries. Presently there is no other translation of the Gita has recreated in English the melodious meter and rhyme of its Sanskrit original.
OMTIMES: Who are some of the famous people who have embraced the Gita?
Isaac Bentwich M.D: The Gita has captivated and inspired many of the world’s greatest creative minds — scientists, thinkers, musicians, poets, and spiritual teachers. From Beethoven to Leonard Cohen, George Harrison, John Coltrane, and Philip Glass — Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Barack Obama and Deepak Chopra — to Carl Jung to Robert Oppenheimer (‘father’ of the atomic bomb), Bohr and Schrodinger (Nobel laureates, founders of quantum physics), and Emmerson, Thoreau and T.S. Elliot, J.D. Salinger — to Shirley MacLaine, Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Hugh Jackman and Julia Roberts.
Beethoven scribbled one of its verses in his diary. Nelson Mandela said Gita’s poetic verses of wisdom helped him survive prison. Thoreau said in comparison to the Gita, “our Shakespeare sometimes seems youthfully green.” Oppenheimer quoted a passage from the Gita when seeing the first Atomic detonation, and said (by whom?)the Gita is “the most beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue.” And Gandhi, who considered the Gita as the very center of his life and the key to his achievements, said, “Today the Gita is not only my Bible or my Koran. It is more than that; it is my Mother. When I am in difficulty or distress, I seek refuge in Her bosom.”
OMTIMES: Why do you think the Gita has inspired so many musicians and artists?
Isaac Bentwich, M.D: A fascinating aspect of the Gita, is that it does not only address life’s most profound questions — the meaning of life, and the paths to happiness — but it also does so in a poem format, of mesmerizing melodiousness. And so, many of the world’s greatest musicians, poets, thinkers, and creative minds – have found it a source of inspiration. John Coltrane recorded it. George Harrison sang it. Philip Glass composed it. Will Smith “is lovin’ it.” Leonard Cohen lived it. Emerson admired it at Waldon Pond. Thoreau said in comparison to the Gita, “our Shakespeare sometimes seems youthfully green.” Beethoven scribbled one of its verses in his diary. And Gandhi said: “Nothing delights me so much as the music of the Gita.”
As mentioned above, though well over a hundred translations of the Gita to English exist, the current translation is the first and only one that recreates in English the unique meter and rhyme of the Sanskrit original and its mesmerizing melodiousness. I believe this special melodiousness is key to obtaining the full benefit from the Gita. Remember – it is called Bhagavad Gita, literally meaning a song of the divine; not ‘text’ or ‘discourse,’ or ‘lectures’ of the divine. Gita’s special song format, its magical melodiousness helps us ‘listen with our heart’ not just with analyze with our brain. This avoiding of over-intellectualization is key because Gita’s most profound truths can only be realized intuitively.
OMTIMES: What inspired you to translate the Gita?
Isaac Bentwich M.D: Translating the Gita was something that grew out of my practice. I first met the Gita at a yoga teacher’s training course, some thirty-four years ago, and … I hated it! The translated text was so thickly wrapped with mythology and foreign terminology that I didn’t relate to it at all. Gradually, though, I did fall completely in love with the Gita, and once you do, its timeless truths do shine in all their glory. And so, the Gita became an indispensable source of light and guidance in my life, and I grew passionate about sharing this with others. I started re-writing favorite verses, for my sadhana, my spiritual practice, trying to capture their essence while carefully peeling away layers of mythology, terminology, and historical context. As I did so, I started hearing the music, the mesmerizing music of these pearls of wisdom. And so began a slow process of re-crafting the verses while re-creating the original meter of the Sanskrit; and then re-crafting them again in gender-neutral form, to have them speak directly to men and women alike. This process spanned twelve years and filled my life with light.
Continue to Page 2 of the Interview with Isaac Bentwich, MD
