I have had a Gita book handed to me at an airport long ago, a nice hardbound edition written by Swami Prabhupada, and I am sad to say that I never really read it past the introduction. I could have just started this journey with that book – but decided that I needed some more material so that if I don’t quite get what one source is saying, I could fall back on another and see if that will help.
A few years ago, a friend of the family was visiting and gave us (Chandrika actually) a nice version of Gita by Sir Edwin Arnold. It is all written in English verse so that it is not just a translation or an exposition. Any study of Gita must include that.
I am probably the only grandchild of my grandfather who did not study Sanskrit in school, so trying to understand anything directly from the original text was out. I do however know to read Sanskrit, and do have a handy Gita text.
I came across this book which is more about Gita, rather than what the Gita says. It is not long, and is part of a series of scholarly research on sacred texts, and is written by a professor of religion. It is well written and The Bhagavad Gita – A Biography by Richard H. Davis is added to the list of resources.
I have my father’s book “Srimad Bhagavad Gitai” ( ஸ்ரீமத் பகவத் கீதை ) which was actually given to me quite some time ago. It is a translation into Tamil without much discourse written by C.R. Srinivasa Iyengar.
Eknath Easwaran’s translation into English was highly recommended as was his 3 volume version as guide to daily living. I could get hold of the translation and that is what is in the kit. I also have this other English translation by Graham Schweig, though I suspect that I will stick to only one of these over the course of the reading.
Translations are OK, but I know that brief translations will not be enough for me. Thankfully, I have some more material. There is the Gita Home Study from Swami Dayananda Saraswati – it is a written form of his lectures on Gita intended for individual study. Having heard him in person, I know that I will get quite a bit out of this material.
Centuries ago, Adi Sankara took the trouble to explain Bhagavad Gita, and of course it was in Sanskrit. However, there is this English Translation by Alladi Mahadeva Sastry done over a hundred years ago and I have a scanned pdf image version of a very old book. 
Added to the list of reading is Essays on the Gita by Sri Aurobindo. The Aurobindo Ashram folks have made his works accessible as ebooks, and this collection of essays is volume 19.
Last but not the least, thanks to my brother-in-law Cheenu, I have mp3 files of talks on Bhagavad Gita by Swami Paramartananda.
That is a slightly ambitious list, but I want to make sure that I am starting this journey with a good set of resources. In that vein, if you want to suggest something else that should be in my kit please let me know. I have collected this material so that I can read soft copy in any eBook reader. So if any of you want this material, write to me.
Raja,
Let me share something that worked for me for doing yoga at home.
Read Bhagvad Gita without missing even one day for continuously 21 days. It then becomes a habit. It worked for me.
I am sure there would many more ideas which others would share.
Best wishes
Sankarnath.
Thanks Shakarnath,
Seven days and counting. Will follow your advice.
Hi Raja,
great initiative ,
I have friends who9se bloga are dealing with nature, photography, travel , etc , this is the first one on spirituality, hope to seee a lot here,
Also wanted to say the picture you have added of the landscapes is very inviting ….
All the best , looking forward to more ….
Dear Raja,
I was inspired by Vinobha Bhave’s ‘Lectures on the Gita’ and started a proper study of the Gita after that. I hope to personalize the message of the Gita for me as Vinobha did for himself.
I look forward to your future posts. My best wishes on your journey.
Got hold of the book Talks on Gita – the one that he handed out during all the walks for Bhoodhan. Just got into it, and you are right, certainly belongs in the kit.
Hi Raja,
What a wonderful idea to embark on your inner journey with Bhagavad Gita as a foundation. One of my favorite is Bhagavad Gita – with word to word meaning of each sanskrit word, English translation and purport with commentary, by Swami Chidbhavananda of Sri Ramakrishna Math. Please add it to your list of resources.
Best regards,
Prema Pratap (Minneapolis)
Have ordered the hard copy (I got more people suggesting this book)- could not find an electronic version.
Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda is an easy flowing read. One book titled God Speaks to Arjuna by Swami Yogananda Parmahamsa offers a very different and refreshing perspective. The Gita he says is all about our introspection!
There is no dearth of Gita resources. Many will come your way from sources unknown. Ultimately the only message they all have is that one must travel inside in this life and for that no other resource is required other than your own self.
Raja, Welcome to TBG Study Club. I am a fringe member of sorts. You have listed a impressive 10 sources for the study. Your well-wishers have added 3 more material sources. At the outset, any of the resource is good enough.
TBG can be viewed from three perspectives. Study Through action without attachment (Nishkama Karma Yoga); Through devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and Through intellectual knowledge ( Jnana Yoga). So, if you do a little bit of introspection you will come to know your comfort zone. Not so say, that the paths are exclusive. The Learned say, you can mix and match as you go along.
Let me share my resources – all in English (Sanskrit is my handicap):
To see it from Karma Yoga (here yoga means sadhana) angle –
(1) Gita According to Gandhi by Mahadev Desai
(2) Talks on Gita by Vinoba Bhave
From the Jnana Yoga perspective it is
(1) Bhagavadgita by Dr S Radhakrishnan
(2) TBG- translated from Sanskrit by W Douglas Hill
(3) TBG with a commentary of Sri Sankaracharya by Alladi Mahadev Sastry
(4) Nuggets from the Gita by Varadaraja V Raman (BVB Pub)
Through the Bhakti prism
(1) Bhagavad Gita As-it-is by Swami Prabhupada (ISCKON)
I feel resources really do not matter as long as the intent is in focus. Some take 18 days to read and recite the 701 shlokas and for some others 28 years is not enough to experience the 18 chapters in it.
My Guru Shri Shankaranarayana (IIT, Chennai) insists the study should be through practice (Vyvahara), conduct (Acharna) and experience (Anubhava).
Hop on, reverentially, before you change your mind as you are doing a good thing to yourself.
With Best Wishes,
Suryaprakash Rathnam
Gita As It Is is a good reading material. But more clarity on Gita shall be available in Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s 4 volumes. For persons having many other occupation Swami Paramartananda treatise is simple and good. Multi various views must be developed. I was inntroduced by Sarvapalli RadhaKrishna’s commentary and Gita Rahasya by Tilak