The Bhagavad Gita Reader

Description

The Aruna Sanskrit Language Series provides a variety of levels of assistance for a wide audience of people in introducing the Sanskrit language, deepening their understanding, and developing a practical knowledge of one of the greatest spiritual text in this language.

The fourth title in The Aruna Sanskrit Language Series is The Bhagavad Gita Reader: Sanskrit/English Parallel Text, consisting of all eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. It presents on each left hand page the Gita verses, then on the opposing page the same verses in easier to understand prose order and an English translation of those verses, in columnar format.

The purpose of this section and its design is three-fold. First, you are instructed to read Gita verses daily. Reading skills are encouraged and developed so that you can read Sanskrit text as effortlessly as your native language. By reading down each of the respective pages, the student can quickly read either the original verses, the prose version, or the English rendering—as well as relate these three by reading across the opposing pages. Later understanding of what you are reading follows and is greatly enhanced by this exercise.

Secondly, the prose presentation of the verses quickly brings you to an understanding of the meaning of the verses, well before the difficult skill of unraveling the grammar packed into verse form. Breaking with tradition, all words in the prose are grammatically split apart, helping you see the individual words with their full grammatical form. Interspersed in the prose in parentheses are additional Sanskrit words necessary to help you comprehend the meaning and context of certain words, and to understand the not so obvious references of certain pronouns found in some verses.

Thirdly, the English translation is given out-of-the-way in its own column to de-emphasize your dependence on English as a medium for understanding Sanskrit. This translation doubles as a quick answer key to the Aruna Coursebook exercises, which are all cross-referenced to the matching verses. Additionally, contextual explanation is added in parentheses so as not to mislead the reader into confusing editorial commentary with the actual translation. This is a feature sorely lacking in existing translations that I have come across. Certain Sanskrit words that have a depth of technical and cultural meaning packed into them, or intentionally have multiple meanings, are well explained in the Aruna Coursebook and in The Bhagavad Gita Dictionary. After being initially translated, the original Sanskrit word is then used in the English translation of the following verses and is clarified, if necessary, only in parenthetical commentary. This makes for better readability of the translation, during this language study and especially after this study—once you realize that there are no equivalent, concise expressions in English for certain Sanskrit words, nor need they be manufactured.

About the Author

A.K. Aruna started his studies in Advaita Vedanta and the Sanskrit language in 1976 at an intensive three-year program in a traditional gurukulam, outside Bombay, India, under Shri Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the most renowned Sanskrit and Advaita Vedanta scholar of the past century. Stepping outside his academic background in Western philosophy, Aruna immersed himself in the deepest, oldest spiritual tradition in the world. This detailed study opened his eyes. In this ancient teaching, Aruna found a complete merging of the intellect and heart. From that point on, he dedicated his life to the inclusive vision of Vedanta.

Returning to his native United States, Aruna earned a master’s degree in South Asian languages and literature from the University of Washington. Aruna later studied computer languages, becoming a programmer and manager of information technology in San Diego, California. Retiring to India in 2000, Aruna dedicated himself to studies in Advaita Vedanta and the Sanskrit Language. He created a set of tools for those students interested in a thorough study of Sanskrit to better understand the Bhagavad Gita.

These tools consist of a five-book set under the title, The Aruna Sanskrit Language Series. They are: <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-aruna-sanskrit-grammar-reference">The Aruna Sanskrit Grammar Reference</a>; <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-aruna-sanskrit-grammar-coursebook">The Aruna Sanskrit Grammar Coursebook: 64 Lessons Based on the Bhagavad Gita</a>; <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-bhagavad-gita-dictionary">The Bhagavad Gita Dictionary</a>; <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-bhagavad-gita-reader">The Bhagavad Gita Reader: Sanskrit/English Parallel Text</a>; and <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-bhagavad-gita-sanskrit-key">The Bhagavad Gita Sanskrit Key: Verse-by-Verse Grammar & Vocabulary</a>. Additionally, there is now a reading and pronunciation guide, The Sanskrit Reading Tutor: Read It, Click It, Hear It! Using these tools, Aruna has been teaching Sanskrit at the Arsha Vidya Gurukulams in both South India and in the U.S.

Aruna has lived and studied in a traditional teaching gurukulam for over nine years in India and two years in the U.S. Wishing to help yoga students ground the traditional purpose of yoga in the revered scriptures of India, Aruna releases <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-patanjali-yoga-sutras-1">Patanjali Yoga Sutras: Translation and Commentary in the Light of Vedanta Scripture</a>. This presents the yoga discipline as its practitioners in the ancient scriptures understood and practiced. There is also a translation only booklet of these sutras, <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/k-aruna-patanjali-yoga-sutras-translation">Patanjali Yoga Sutras: A Translation in the Light of Vedanta Scripture</a>, useful for classroom introductions and repeated readings of this enlightening work.

Book Details

ISBN: 9780981864037

Publisher: Upasana Yoga Media (www.UpasanaYoga.org)

Number of Pages: 398

Dimensions: 7"x9"

Interior Pages: B&W

Binding: Paperback (Perfect Binding)

Availability: In Stock (Print on Demand)

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