Book Description

This is potentially one of the most significant books to emerge in recent times on how to read the Gita, for it provides a clear way forward to make coherent sense of one of the most important yet methodologically interactable text of religious Hinduism. I found this book an illumining experience.-Julius Lipner FBA, Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion and Fellow of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, UK A fascinating book which throws new light on the Gita, and should help to make it more accessible to those who wish to read this great spiritual classic.-Keith Ward FBA, Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus and Fellow of Christ Church College, University of Oxford, UK Ithamar Theodor approaches the ancient Bhagavad Gita with a modern mind and finds much in it that deserves our attention. Locating his study within Comparative Theology and identifying the various layers of meaning in the text will help those unacquainted with it to find their way through this complex classic. Combining the philosophical-theoretical with the ethical-practical the author shows the universal relevance of the Gita's teaching. Since Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan nobody has offered as penetrating a study of this classic as Ithamar Theodor has done.-Klaus Klostermaier FRSC, Distinguished Professor of Hinduism and Religious Studies Emeritus, University of Manitoba, Canada The Bhagavad Gita is a unique literary creation but deciphering its meaning and philosophy is not easy or simple. This careful study of the Bhagavad Gita approaches the ancient text with a modern mind and offers a unifying structure which is of a universal relevance. Combining the philosophical-theoretical with the ethical-practical, Ithamar Theodor locates his study within comparative theology and identifies the various layers of meaning. The full text of the Bhagavad Gita is presented in new translation, divided into sections, and accompanied by indepth commentary. This book makes the Bhagavad Gita accessible to a wide variety of readers, helping to make sense of this great spiritual classic which is one of the most important text of religious Hinduism.