The Holy Geeta: Srimad Bhagwad Geeta (Sanskrit and Romanized Text with English Translation)

Prabha Duneja, founder and president of Geeta Society, is a well known Vedic scholar and a devotee of Lord Krishna. She is the author of The Legacy of Yoga in Bhagawad Geeta, Mantra and the Modern Man, Hinduism-Scriptures and Practices and Bhagawad Geeta- The Gospel of Timeless Wisdom. She has also recorded several series of lectures on the secret powers of mantra and the science of yoga and meditation. For more information visit her website:

Bhagawad Geeta is the" most luminous dialogue in the legacy of Vedic literature. The holy poem has been upheld as one of the Prasthana- traya--the three authoritative texts of the Sanatan Vedic Religion. The first one is the Vedic Prasthtana called the Upanisadas, the second is the philosophical Prasthana-the Brahma Sutra; the third Prasthana is the Bhagawad Geeta. Bhagawad Geeta is a unique scripture which summarizes almost all the essential teachings of the Vedic literature. It has been a perennial source of spiritual inspiration for the entire mankind.

Bhagawad Geeta is one of the most well known and revered text among the other scriptures of the World. It is a compendium of spiritual wisdom and the most appropriate guide for living a harmonious life in all respects

The message of the holy Geeta is indeed phenomenal and timeless. It is an anthology of spiritual wisdom which guides the individual into the mysteries of self-realization and God-realization. It analyses almost all levels of human psychology and trains the person into living a productive, joyful, balanced and creative life. The teachings of Geeta are very intimately connected with the everyday life of a man. In the words of Swami Sivananda, "Study of the Geeta alone is sufficient for the purpose of daily swadhyaya (scriptural study). You will find a solution here for all your doubts. The more you study with devotion and faith, the more you will get deeper knowledge, penetrative insight and clear right thinking. Even if you live in the spirit of one verse of the Geeta, all your miseries will come to an end and you will attain the goal of life-Immortality and Eternal Peace."

The message of Geeta presents a profound insight into the workings of human nature and provides the most appropriate guidance which is needed in almost every field of life in order to live in perfect harmony with our own self and with others. The dialogue provides an understanding into the mystery of the Supreme-soul and how every individual can restore himself to the Supremacy of his essential nature.

In the words of Dr. Paul Brunton, "The Geeta summarizes various approaches to the Overself and also describes the latter. Sri Krsna not only represents the embodied spiritual teacher, but He is ultimately the Overself within man, the God within who can illuminate all dark comers and answer all questions. At the end of the dialogue after hearing all the teachings, the pupil's mind becomes peaceful. He says indeed: "My doubts are dispelled. Destroyed are my illusions". By what magic was this mental change accomplished? Through both the guidance and grace received from his teacher and his own inner growth in striving for insight. The difficulties one meets in modem life can be met and overcome after we gain such insight. Wisdom means the ability to negotiate all the circumstances of life adequately, correctly and with spiritual success. The deep spiritual comfort emanating from the teachings of the Geeta is peculiarly needed at this stage of the world's affairs"

The message of Geeta synthesizes almost all the well known teachings of the ancient scriptures of the world and it is addressed to the entire mankind. In words of Dr. Annie Besant, "Among the priceless teaching that may be found in the great Hindu poem of the Mahabharata, there is none so rare and precious as this "The Lord's song". Since it fell from the divine lips of Sri Krsna on the field of battle, and stilled the surging emotions of the disciple and friend , It has quietened and strengthened many troubled hearts, and many weary souls have been led to Him! It is meant to lift the aspirant from the lower levels of renunciation where objects are renounced to the loftier heights where desires are dead and where the Yogi dwells in calm and ceaseless contemplation, while his body and mind are actively employed in discharging the duties that fall to his lot in life. That the spiritual man need not be a recluse, that union with divine life may be achieved and maintained in the midst of worldly affairs, that the obstacles to that union lie, not outside us, within us, such is the central lesson of the Bhagawad Geeta".

Ever since the teachings of Geeta have become known to the people in Europe and America; it has quickly won the interest and admiration of millions. Many philosophical and religious groups in foreign countries hold the same respect for Geeta as the people in India. About the popularity of Geeta, Mahatma Gandhi has written that during one of his visits to England he went to a big library and inquired from the librarian about the most popular religious book, which was in greatest demand. The librarian informed him that it was indeed the Bhagawad Geeta.

The great educationist and philosopher of India Mr. Madan Mohan Malaviya has written about Geeta in these words. "I believe that in all the living languages of the world, there is no book so full of true knowledge, and yet so handy as the Bhagawad Geeta". The well known professor of religion at Oxford University Mr. Zaehner has written about the glory of the sacred song in these words, "Geeta is a firsthand guide to the ancient roots of Vedic religion. Although in she vats vara Upanisad the transcendence of the personal God has been affirmed to some extent-but with Geeta has come the devotional religion".

The great respect and appreciation for Geeta has been voiced by Warren Hastings the first British Governor General of India in year 1773. He has said, "the work as the Geeta would live long after the British Empire in India has ceased to exist". The song Celestial by Sir Edwin Arnold describes the greatness of Geeta in these words. "In plain but noble language it unfolds a philosophical system which remains to this day the prevailing Brahamanic belief, blending as it does the doctrines of Kapija, Patanjaji, and the Vedas. So lofty are many of its declarations. so sublime its aspirations, and so pure and tender' is its piety". Sir Edwin Arnold has called Geeta the incomparable religious classic of India.

Similarly Mr. Von Humboldt, Maxmuller, Emerson , Franklin Edgerton and Aldous Huxely and many other scholars and educationists of the world have taken Geeta as a text for the exposition of their thoughts. In the words of Aldous Huxely, "Bhagawad Geeta is perhaps the most systematic spiritual statement of the perennial philosophy.

The message of the holy 'dialogue has been held in deep reverence by the sages, philosophers and the learned scholars all over the world. The teachings of Geeta are universal and meant for the welfare of entire creation. There are hundreds of commentaries on Bhagawad Geeta both in Indian and in many foreign languages. This is perhaps the most widely translated scriptural text of the world. In the words of Dr. Radhakrishnan, "for centuries people have found comfort in this great book which sets forth in precise and penetrating words the essential principles of a spiritual religion which are not contingent on ill founded facts, unscientific dogmas or arbitrary fancies. With a long history of spiritual power, it serves even today as a light to all who will receive illumination from the profundity of its wisdom which insists on a world wider and deeper than wars and revolutions can touch. It is a powerful shaping factor in the renewal of spiritual life and has secured an assured place among the world's greatest scriptures"

The present translation is only a humble addition to the work which has been accomplished earlier by the Geeta scholars. This translation with Romanized Sanskrit verses has been brought forward in order to encourage the modern generation into the study of this ancient scripture. It makes me feel so blessed that the melodious recitation and chanting of Geeta verses, which I have enjoyed sharing with others, is finally going to be presented in Romanized simple form to the admirers of Geeta. This work is meant to help the Indians living in foreign countries and to arouse the interest of foreigners into the recitation of Sanskrit verses and to understand the meaning of Geeta in a simple flexible and comprehensible language. This book is indeed a prasad to the readers which will initiate them into the appreciation of the holy dialogue. The entire purpose of composing this pocket book with Romanized Sanskrit verses is to spread the message of Geeta and to pass on the legacy of the Holy sermon to the coming generation.