Bhagavad Gita As Viewed by Swami Vivekananda Paperback – November 1, 2009

It was so slender a book that i was worried it would not be much help in my study of the Gita, but was a wonderful exploration and view instead. Excellent little book.

Wonderful book. Love it!

A rare miss from Advaita Ashrama. This book has unfortunately not been put together with the necessary care. In fact, it is so repetitive in places that it becomes difficult to read. Ideas, some of them very controversial (from a modern perspective), are broached and then left without serious discussion. I feel that sales of this book should be discontinued and that it should be thoroughly revised before a second edition is released.

This is a great example of the beauty of Hinduism. Swami Vivekananda shows us that we must stand up and live the dharmic way.

Insightful!

Unlike what others have written, particularly those with an ISKCON-inclined bent, the key message of the Bhagavad Gita is in no way limited to the theologically narrow vision that Krishna is the only path. Indeed, the Gita is as multivalent and all-encompassing as is the basic ethos of Sanatana Dharma (misnamed "Hinduism", which just means "Indianism"). The key, most fundamental message and thrust of the Bhagavad Gita is 'nishkaama karma', which is 'expectationless action', viz. service to one's duty, or Dharma. Thus, dutibound action is facilitated by the four yogas as enumerated in the Gita, the yogas of 'Karma Yoga', "Bhakti Yoga', 'Jnana Yoga', and 'Raja Yoga'.Of course, because Krishna is speaking to Arjuna on the cusp of all-out war, at the edge of the battlefield, he is going to elucidate the yogas of disinterested action, dutiful work, and discrimination, in some depth while leaving Raja Yoga, the yoga of meditation, for a more appropriate time and space. This accords with the Vedic idea of desh-kaal-patra (time-place-circumstances).Krishna does, however, mention Dhyaana Yoga (the Yoga of contemplation, which is the Raja Yoga taken up almost a millennium later in fuller exegesis by Patanjali) in the 6th chapter. Krishna even describes the process of being seated, focusing on a single point, and immersing oneself in the contemplation that ultimately leads to union. Does anyone really believe that a description of the four yogas is going to dwell on seated meditation when the talk is being given to a warrior on the verge of battle?To summarize, the Bhagavad Gita's fundamental message is disinterested action aimed towards accomplishing one's duty as dictated by time-place-circumstances and the greater context of one's life. This nish-kaam-karma (lacking-desire-action... expectationless action) is to be realized in a life guided by the motives of the four paths termed yogas, Karma Yoga, work done without consideration for the rewards to be gained, Bhakti Yoga, work done as loving sacrifice to a greater ideal (devotional), Jnana Yoga, live lived discriminating between what is real and lasting and what is false and fleeting, conducive to stability as opposed to inclining towards chaos, and Raja Yoga (see Chapter 6, entitled Dhyana Yoga), which is straight contemplation of the utter singularity of all being and the integral nature of one's own being.Shlokas 10-15 of Chapter 6 are Krishna's mention of the path of Raja Yoga, a glimpse of what for Arjuna at the cusp of a major battle can remain only theory. The Bhagavad Gita is Lord Krishna's song to advise his dearest friend about the orientation he must take into battle (life) to take on the challenges which inevitably assail the embodied.The Bhagavad Gita is the foundational text on yoga in general. Because people have come to simplistically identify yoga with 'Raja' and the preparatory Hatha yoga, they myopically view the sixth orthodox (aastika) darshana (philosophy) of the Vedic system (Sanatana Dharma, "Hinduism") as having to do only with that. They happily dehisce Yoga from the greater tradition from which it is inextricable. Oh well.

totally useless...."You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Gita." — that is one of the most popular quotes of Swami Vivekananda.in very first portion of bhagavad gita Krishna is stressing that we are soul and not body...body will die in very short time...and here he is talking like gym instructor or football coach rather than spritualist...this quote is not even upto the mark of basic rationality...if he is giving more importance to physical exercise than practicing the sublime and profound teachings of Bhagavad gita which is the best book on spritual science thus deviating people from true message of Bhagavad gita...after reading bhagavad gita as it is...all these so called blundered teachings on gita by vivekananda or gandhi look false and hypocritical..vivekananda doesnt even consider krishna supreme lord i guess..the most important message of bhagavad gita...this is just like saying who is rama after reading whole ramayana..