The Timeless Bhagavad Gita
What is it about the Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Hindu scripture in Sanskrit that has captivated so many of the world’s most brilliant scientists, musicians, poets, thinkers, and spiritual teachers?
The Bhagavad Gita
by Isaac Bentwich MD
For two and a half millennia, the Gita (meaning Divine Song) has been one of the world’s most trusted guides for inner spiritual growth, beloved by spiritual seekers worldwide. Beethoven, Leonard Cohen, Carl Jung, Emerson, Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Deepak Chopra, Michael Singer, and so many others credit the Gita as a magnificent source of wisdom and inspiration. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist, considered one of the “fathers of the atomic bomb,” is quoted as saying the Gita is “the most beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue.” Best-selling New York Times author Eckhart Tolle praises it as “one of the greatest spiritual treasures of humanity.” I join these people in their great devotion to the Bhagavad Gita.
In contemplating how the Gita has been so beloved by so many, I found that just as Arjuna and Krishna were on the “battlefield of the soul,” I believe that this ancient inner guide is more relevant than ever in addressing the unique challenges we face in the modern world. Gita’s message is meant for ordinary people, like you and me, who are living in this hectic, troubled, yet beautiful world, at this time of great evolution.
I spent twelve years translating the Gita—which felt much like peeling layers of an onion—focusing on one layer at a time. I’ve intended my translation to be a simple, practical guide for inner development by crystallizing the key messages of each verse, as they apply to our time, peeling away distracting layers of the complex terminology and foreign culture.
If you seek a practical, Wisdom-guide to facilitate your inner journey, I invite you to explore the Gita. I know that Gita’s lofty ideals are not at all exaggerated or utopian—I’ve had the incredible fortune to sit at the feet of Teachers, who for me are shining examples of Gita’s principles in action. When you meet men and women like these, their humility and kindness melt your heart, and the clear light that flows through them enlightens your soul.
May we all continue to learn and evolve, and to help and support one another on our inner journeys, toward our Inner-Self.
Living Life Wisely
Gita teaches the art of living life wisely. So, our journey starts from the most pragmatic aspect of our lives — Action. Our lives are so immersed in Action (and more so in re-action) that we tend to be mesmerized by our current drama-of-the-day, and therefore miss the bigger picture, the dynamics of Action itself.
Our actions (and thoughts!) are so completely driven by Ego that a false conviction sets in that we are Ego and that there’s nothing we can do about it. Gita’s Action Path helps you better understand the nature of Action, empowering you to transform your activity from ego-driven actions and thoughts that shackle you, to selfless ones that gradually set you free.
You cannot avoid activity, says the Gita. But make sure you work selflessly. Work for work’s sake alone. We each have our life’s work, our Calling. Find and embrace your life’s Calling. Enjoy work itself, thereby enjoying the present moment. It is futile to obsess over the past, or fret about work’s future results – says the Gita – “but one who works, unattached — senses and mind held under rein; merits highest regard, O Prince”— this is true Yoga-of-Action.
Yoga of Action
PRINCE:
But Master, if you assert that
Wisdom is better than Action;
Then why do you tell me to do
Such dreadful deeds of destruction? [1]
Your words seem contradictory,
The confusion they stir in my mind;
Tell me one certain way, Master,
By which one may reach the Divine. [2]
MASTER:
Seekers of enlightenment, in this world, Prince,
Have two paths, for two personality types:
Wisdom Path for the mature, reflective,
And Selfless Action for those who’re still active.
Non-action can never achieve
The action-less state on its own;
Nor can perfection be attained
By renouncing action alone. [4]
No one can rest for a moment
From the action of body and thought;
Nature’s-Facets compel us to act
Hence our life with action is fraught. [5]
One who curbs action of body
But harbors desires in thought;
Is a deluded hypocrite,
Wisdom in this – there is not. [6]
But one who works, unattached,
Senses and mind held under rein;
Merits highest regard, O Prince,
This is true Yoga-of-Action. [7]
Action surpasses inaction,
Act, from natural Duty, don’t abstain;
Why even your very own body,
Without action, you cannot sustain. [8]
This world by its actions is chained,
Save when the action’s performed as prayer;
Perform all acts as prayer, therefore,
And for action’s fruits never care. [9]
At creation’s dawn, each soul was given
A natural-born Calling, its own ordained part;
‘Your wishes be granted’ said the Creator,
‘If your Calling’s Duty you perform, pure of heart’. [10]
Pursuing your Calling honors God,
Upon you – God’s light will shine;
By honoring one another,
One attains to – the Divine. [11]
* * * If you would like to read all of Chapter Three, click here: www.newgita.com/chapter3
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You will also enjoy Spiritual Values and The Bhagavad Gita and The Bhagavad Gita – Ancient Jewel of Indian Wisdom
About the Author
Isaac Bentwich M.D. is a longtime practitioner and teacher of Yoga and Meditation. Trained as a physician in Western and Ayurvedic medicine, he founded three life-science technology companies, leading revolutions in medicine, genomics, and environmental conservation. Bentwich has studied the Bhagavad Gita for thirty-four years. The purpose of his new translation is to make the Gita more accessible and relevant to contemporary readers. He presents the mesmerizing melodiousness, meter, and rhyme of the Sanskrit original, and this version is crafted for both men and women. For more information about Gita: A Timeless Guide for Our Time (June 21, 2019), please visit: NewGita.com
