Official Review: Bhagvad-Gita by BS Murthy

[sorpurt]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Bhagvad-Gita" by BS Murthy.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Bhagvad-Gita Treatise of Self-help by BS Muthay takes the traditional manuscript of The Bhagavad-Gita and provides the reader with a scholar's interpretation of what each chapter is meant to represent to the reader. The author provides a clear path for understanding this traditional and revered text without undermining the original document. The Bhagavad-Gita is a Hindu narrative that was meant to inspire spirituality, and instill concepts such as Dharma, yogic ideals, selflessness, peacefulness, and many other concepts deemed necessary for humanity. It was the inspiration for many leaders of Indian peace movements, which tells us that it is extremely influential and potentially powerful text.

Muthay makes a valiant effort to remove unnecessary and illogical portions of the original text, that may have been added to supplement motives other than those of the original author. He deemed theses interpolations and throughout the book discusses which passages were considered interpolations and why. By doing so, Muthay attempts to create a clear picture as to what The Bhagavad-Gita was originally meant to say. This also helps the reader with interpreting the original meaning of each chapter.

However, Muthay's attempt to remove unnecessary interpolations may take away from the overall experience of the text. It is hard to tell with portions missing, what the original manuscript may have held and intended. Even if portions were inserted by other writers, by removing them entirely it takes away from the reader’s opportunity to determine the true meaning and intentions of the stanzas for themselves. Muthay’s intentions were good in this matter, however it is hard to say if leaving the interpolations would have changed the flow of the book and the reader’s understanding of the text.

I rate this book a 2 out of 4. Muthay took a traditional text and turned it into something easier to understand for the reader. While it was well written and provided good information for interpretation about the text I personally was not drawn into the text. I feel the authors interpretations were good, but I would have preferred to have the missing text so I could put the story together myself and have more information for interpretation on my own.

While this book does not have me jumping up and down for joy, it was worth the time put into it. It opened my eyes to new concepts and thoughts brought by this traditional epic, and inspired ideas of selflessness and how to live a peaceful life. I think many will benefit from this enlightening read.

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Bhagvad-Gita
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[Tanaya]

I understand your preference for seeing the missing text. I recently reviewed a book that did something similar. Nice, thorough review!