Rating: 
Summary: Translation???
Review: One of the things that irritated me about his particular "translation" was the fact that Mitchell admits in the book that he has a knowledge of only "rudimentary Sanskrit". If this is true, then I cannot have much faith in his "tranlsation". Still, to anyone who has read any of the other recent translations, there will be little of surprise here. Although Mitchell may not know Sanskrit, he apparently has relied on someone who does in order to get this "translation of a translation". One of the things that he mentions in this book that I agree with is that the first 12 chapers of the Gita and the last 6 chapters were written by different authors. In the first two thirds of the book, we see a kind, loving Krishna accepting all who try to reach him in any way they are able . . . even the sinful are seen as having a divine spark at their heart. This seems more in keeping with the earlier, Upanishadic tradition of advaita. The latter part of the book seems to have been written by some Samkhya philosopher bent upon classifyng everything according to the doctrine of the three Gunas. The latter part of the book is boring, repetitive, and seems to be on a considerably lower level than the rest of the book. Instead of the universal Krishna, we now have the angry god casting down the "evil" men again and again into infamy and who regards certain people as inherently demonic -- a stark contrast form the beginning chapters. Also of not is Gandhi's essay of Ahimsa and his view of how the Gita does not actually condone violence, but makes use of a war in order to present its message more clearly. Gandhi is not totally convincing in this, but it does provide a good counterpoint to those who use it as an excuse for violence and oppression in the name of god. Mitchell aslo quotes Thoreau in mentioning that Krishna's exhortations of Arjuna to fight are usually illogical and inconvincing. Although not a scholarly work, the introductory and concluding commentary do bring up some important points.
Rating:
Summary: Translation???
Review: One of the things that irritated me about his particular "translation" was the fact that Mitchell admits in the book that he has a knowledge of only "rudimentary Sanskrit". If this is true, then I cannot have much faith in his "tranlsation". Still, to anyone who has read any of the other recent translations, there will be little of surprise here. Although Mitchell may not know Sanskrit, he apparently has relied on someone who does in order to get this "translation of a translation". One of the things that he mentions in this book that I agree with is that the first 12 chapers of the Gita and the last 6 chapters were written by different authors. In the first two thirds of the book, we see a kind, loving Krishna accepting all who try to reach him in any way they are able . . . even the sinful are seen as having a divine spark at their heart. This seems more in keeping with the earlier, Upanishadic tradition of advaita. The latter part of the book seems to have been written by some Samkhya philosopher bent upon classifyng everything according to the doctrine of the three Gunas. The latter part of the book is boring, repetitive, and seems to be on a considerably lower level than the rest of the book. Instead of the universal Krishna, we now have the angry god casting down the "evil" men again and again into infamy and who regards certain people as inherently demonic -- a stark contrast form the beginning chapters. Also of not is Gandhi's essay of Ahimsa and his view of how the Gita does not actually condone violence, but makes use of a war in order to present its message more clearly. Gandhi is not totally convincing in this, but it does provide a good counterpoint to those who use it as an excuse for violence and oppression in the name of god. Mitchell aslo quotes Thoreau in mentioning that Krishna's exhortations of Arjuna to fight are usually illogical and inconvincing. Although not a scholarly work, the introductory and concluding commentary do bring up some important points.
Rating: 
Summary: Bhagavad Gita : A New Translation
Review: Stephen Mitchell has no clue ! Absolute injustice to the readers intelligence ! -Sidhartha
Rating: 
Summary: New to "The Gita."
Review: The BHAGAVAD GITA "is a great religious poem," Ghandi wrote. "The deeper you dive into it, the richer the meanings you get" (p. 220). I was new to "The Gita," and I should have looked before I leaped into this edition.I am not qualified to compare Mitchell's translation to any of the other two hundred English translations of the of The Gita published since it was written nearly two thousand years ago, nor am I qualified to discuss The Gita's path of self realization. But to me, it seems like this translation rarely goes more than ankle deep into The Gita's teachings. It is nevertheless a worthwhile book in at least two respects. It confronts its reader with the important question, "How should I live an authentic life?" It also shows that The Gita is intended to include all paths and all people, excluding no one from the boat of wisdom carrying us across "the sea of all sin" (4.36). Krishna says, "However men try to reach me,/ I return their love with my love;/ whatever path they may travel,/ it leads to me in the end" (4.11). In his Introduction, Mitchell writes that The Gita can be read as an "instruction manual for spiritual practice," and as a "guide to peace of heart" (p. 23). The Gita tells us, "Though the unwise cling to their actions,/ watching for results, the wise/ are free from attachments, and act/ for the well-being of the whole world" (3.25). Although the path to self realization is not well defined in Mitchell's translation, reading any Gita is better than reading no Gita. As for me, I'm ready now to dive into a more meaningful Gita. Any recommendations? G. Merritt
Rating:
Summary: Not a good translation at all, "Westernized"
Review: The Gita has of late been embraced by more members of the western society, while I am all for this, I am not for loose and improper interpretation. The true beauty of the Gita is that it will take you many many years of re-reading it to realize the meaning of each chapter. You will get a different view not only on the Gita, but on life itself with each read. Swamis have devoted their entire life towards interpreting the Gita. If anyone should be selling books with interpretation it should be them and them alone. The problem with Mitchell's book is that so many of his statements can be contridicted by other Hindu texts, it is almost as if he has only studied the Gita and not the vedas. The conclusions that he thus derives are off base and at times ridiculous in basis. Don't get me wrong, for those who are curious as to the teachings of the Gita, you will find this book easy to read and understand. But by no strech of the imagination will you have come close to truly understanding and enlightenment. For those who are a bit more serious about analyzing and meditating to the Gita, I highly recommend Swami Prabhupada's "Bhagavad-Gita As It Is". You may disagree with some of his interpretations, but the fact that he cites references from other hindu scriptures to prove his point makes hard to contradict his taughts. Bottom line, this is not the Bible, there are dozens of versions of Gitas with different english translations and interpretations. Do yourself the favor of purchasing a book from someone who has devoted their life to the Gita rather then someone like Mitchell who has put this together to make a quick buck.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing, Elevated Poetry
Review: The quality of this work is exceptional. I'd be surprised if you could find language this ele-vated anywhere else (except for the Book of Isaiah - in the original language).
Rating:
Summary: This is a Hindu Book
Review: This is a book based on a Hindu belief and has alot of love type things in it. This is not recommended unless you are studying this culture.
Rating:
Summary: Another beautiful translation
Review: This is a very readable and poetic rendering of one of the world's most important spiritual books. Like his translation of the Tao Te Ching and his retelling of the gospel of Jesus, this translation is informed by Mitchell's personal spiritual vision -- which is coherent, consistent, and powerful. The introductory remarks alone are worth the price of the book. Along with Huston Smith and the late Lex Hixon, Stephen Mitchell is a trustworthy guide to the appreciation and, one hopes, assimilation of our collective spiritual legacy. Buy this book. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing considering the antiquity of the original
Review: This is an English translation of a Hindu Poem written in Sanskrit which probably dates from 500 BC. The basis of the dating is the failure of the work to refer to Buddhism that has developed after. The poem is basically the exposition of religious doctrine. The setting is a mythical battle. Two armies are drawn up to fight each other. Arjuna who is either the leader or champion of one army in a chariot takes up a position between the armies so that he can start firing arrows at the other side. The Hindu god Krishna drives his chariot. Arjuna is rendered powerless as he is eaten up by a moral crisis. As the other army contains so many of his relatives victory in battle can bring no honor for him. The honor would be eaten up by the moral evil of killing those who he should revere and protect. He turns to Krishna and asks for advice. Krishna indicates to Arjuna that his role is to be a warrior. He should carry out his duty honorably and by doing so he acts morally. Krishna then explains that although Arjuna may kill people in battle he cannot destroy them. An explanation then occurs about the Hindu schema of the universe with the importance of reincarnation. What then happens is an explanation of the Hindu religious scheme. The Gods exist to receive sacrifice and to receive prayer. They in turn have an obligation to intervene in the affairs of men providing rain and sunshine. The aim of men is to seek freedom from passion and the world. The poem is interesting as it sees the means of doing this as not simple or schematic but diverse. When you consider the poem was written five hundred years before the Christian era the thing that strikes you about it is the clarity of the exposition and the sophistication of the dialogue. The sorts of works that were being read in the west at this time were the Iliad and the Odyssey. The sorts of people portrayed in the Iliad were by comparison bad tempered country helots. The book is very short, god knows how good the translation was who speaks Sanskrit but it is an easy thing to read and a fascinating glimpse into a complex religious system of tremendous antiquity.
Rating:
Summary: Bhagavad Gita : A New Translation
Review: This is an excellent translation and Mr Mitchell's assertion that the 12-18 chapters of the gita are less spiritually evolved than the first 11 are well justified. This is not just his opinion but also among many indian schools of thought. Anyone tuned to the message of the gita will clearly notice the contradiction between the first 11 and the subsequent chapters. The latter chapters dwell too much on duality and absolute classifications which are more in the tradition of the philosophies (or shud i say practices) coming from the middle east.
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