Coming-of-age rendition of a timeless text

With 700 verses in 18 chapters, the Bhagavad Geeta (BG) is the much smaller than the Qur’an with 6,348 verses spread over 114 chapters and the 23,145 verses in the Old and 7,957 in the New Testament. All these texts, the Bhagvad Geeta, the Qur’an and the Bible are very widely quoted in all the important life events of believers. Written originally in Sanskrit, Arabic and Hebrew, they have been translated in almost every language, more so in English, which for all practical purposes has become a global lingua franca. With regard to the great Indian middle class, where many families have one or more members abroad, having the English translation of the BG comes in quite handy. More so, if it comes in a format which has easy to read, rhymed stanzas, amenable for reading and reciting to the younger children by their elders who may or not be comfortable reading the text in Sanskrit.

Brigadier Krishna Gopal Behl, the nonagenarian author of Bhagavad Geeta: Philosophy of Life (the translation of Bhagavad Geeta from Sanskrit into English using rhythmic poetry), was born in 1935 on the Janmashtami Day at Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan). There were two reasons for the publication of this book. The first from a sense of responsibility to the next generation to ensure that they understood the finer points of the Song Celestial in an easily acceptable format. Secondly, he wanted the publication to coincide with India’s G20 presidency as a souvenir for the visiting dignitaries. Both his missions have been accomplished in this wonderful rendition in which each of the seven hundred verses is set to meter. To make it easier for the reader to understand the text, the original verse in Sanskrit, along with annotations in English, is available on the left hand side.

The 18 chapters of the BG are in the nature of a conversation, mostly between Arjuna and Krishna. The exception is the opening stanza in which Dhritrashtra is asking Sanjaya about how the armies of Kauravas and Pandavas are arrayed against each other. This is the context in which Arjuna turns despondent, for he realises that he is up against his own kinsmen and teachers. Arjuna is so overwhelmed with grief that he lays down his Gandiva (the divine bow) and refuses to fight. But Krishna reminds him that his first and foremost duty was to his ‘Dharma’. He had to fight the just war, not because of the ‘anticipated riches and wealth’, but because it was his duty to engage in it, without any expectations of victory or glory. He thus introduces the concept of Nishkama Karma, and the concept of Sthit Pragya (equanimity). As Arjuna is still vacillating, Krishna gives him the discourse on Karma Yoga, followed by an exposition on the Gyana Yoga (yoga of knowledge), Dhyana Yoga (yoga of meditation) as well as the knowledge of the Brahman (Absolute). Time and again, Arjuna raises his doubts, and Krishna responds by telling him about the path to the Supreme. Krishna also tells Arjuna that while all worshippers got their rewards, most people were happy with intermediate goals like acquisition of wealth or position or freedom from a physical ailment. Here, Krishna introduces the threefold nature of human beings – some are Satavika (pure), other are Rajasika (the passionate ones) and the Tamsaiksa (the ignorant ones). He says that while the Satavika worshippers seek to attain Brahman, the Rajasika look to worldly goods, and the Tamsaiksa focus only on the short term or the immediate. In other words, while the Satavika aims are long term, the Rajasika goals are short to medium term while the Tamsaiksa goals are ‘here and now’. Krishna then tells Arjuna that while his unmanifested form prevails over everything, He, himself is detached from all matter. But He also shows his most opulent form to bedazzle Arjuna, and make him realize how powerful and mighty He is.

Krishna then says that while all the paths – Bhakti, Karma and Gyana – lead to the Transcendent truth, Bhakti Yoga is easier for those who have a devotional bent of mind, the Karma Yoga for those who are action oriented, and the Gyana Yoga for those who are in the contemplative or meditative zone. Krishna then resolves Arjuna’s question about nature (Prakriti), spirit (Purusha), Ksetra (field) and Ksetra-jna (knower of the field) and Gyan (knowledge). To reinforce this point, Krishna also explains how the Satavika, Rajasika and Tamsaiksa respond to these questions, and then shares his views about the divine and the demoniac nature. The penultimate chapter is an enunciation of Om Tat Sat, and finally in the last chapter, Krishna explains the difference between Tyaga and Sannyasa: whereas the former is giving up the fruits of action, the latter is renunciation of action itself.

One must mention here that Behl describes the BG as it is: for while Gandhi enunciated the Bhakti Yoga, Tilak the Karma Yoga and Sri Aurobindo the Gyan Yoga, Behl does not indicate any clear preference. But before his rhyming venture, he did go through an entire range of extant commentaries and translations – starting from Charles Wilkins (1785) to Edwin Arnold’s The celestial song (1885) and Madhavacharya’s translation with Shankar’s commentary (1898). The twentieth century saw so many commentaries on the BG, that National Library Kolkata had to ask for additional rooms and shelf space just to ensure that all the volumes are properly kept for indexing and retrieval, and even now, not a week passes before yet another translation or commentary sees the light of the day.

Published by one of the leading publishers on Indology, Motilal Banarsidas Publishing House, the book is available in both hardback and paperback editions—the former for the institutional libraries and the latter for individual use. If one wants a signed copy, do attend his session Poetry@Ninety at the eighth edition of the Valley of Words. The author has also promised a good discount to all those who attend his session, and ask probing questions!

The writer, a former Director of LBS National Academy of Administration, is currently a historian, policy analyst and columnist, and serves as the Festival Director of Valley of Words — a festival of arts and literature