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The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita
Author : Swami Kriyananda
Rs. : 295/-
Pages : 661
Published By : Ananda Sangha Publication
B-10/8 DLF City Phase I
Gurgaon,
Haryana 122 002, India
Reviewed By- Prof. P. K. Arya
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The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, as Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda and Remembered by his direct disciple, Swami Kriyananda presents for the first time in a simple, direct, and profoundly inspiring manner Yogananda’s unique exposition on the Gita. Transcending traditional interpretations, this book explains with fresh insight the symbolism and allegorical nature of the Gita, making the scripture accessible to modern readers in a totally new way.
Reflecting the discoveries of modern science which prove that matter is energy, The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita explores human reality as something not defined by a physical body, but as energy and consciousness. Thus it enables us to understand the practice of yoga and of Kriya Yoga as a means of working with currents of inner energy. The vastness of the universe both macrocosmically and microcosmically is also explored in alignment with the new view of the universe that science is discovering.
In 1950 Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, completed writing his interpretation of the beloved scripture, the Gita. Swami Kriyananda, then a young monk of twenty-three years and today one of the guru’s few remaining living disciples, was present on that occasion. Yogananda exclaimed to him, “A new scripture has been born! Millions will find God through this book.” This book will fulfill that prophecy.
Yoganandaji instructed Kriyananda that his life work would be writing, editing, lecturing and teaching. In his devoted service of nearly sixty years, Kriyananda has written over eighty books based on Yogananda’s teachings and has lectured throughout the world in five languages. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita is the product of Swami Kriyananda’s lucid memory of his guru’s revelation of the great scripture.
The writing style of this book displays tremendous clarity of mind, enriched with a lyrical poetic quality and mastery of language. Each page is filled with fresh insights and vivid illustrations that challenge one’s conventional outlook and make God-realization seem achievable by all. It is Kriyananda’s masterpiece, the culmination of a lifetime of discipleship and sharing of his guru’s teachings with thousands of students worldwide.
Here is a brief excerpt from the book, “The over-all theme of this great epic is the soul’s first separation, eons ago, from God: the soul’s long voyage through the barren land of delusion; and its final return, after countless trials and tribulations, to the Great Source of all life. This is the story through which every soul must pass, once it enters upon the outward path of life, and once it chooses to follow the inward path of divine awakening.”
Early reviews of The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita place it in a class all its own. Shri D.R. Kaarthikeyan, former Director General of India’s Central Bureau of Investigation and the National Human Rights Commission, wrote, “Swamiji recollects from his phenomenal memory the words of his great master and gives fresh insight into his guru’s own masterpiece, making matters simpler, clearer, logical, and appealing to the commoner and the learned, both in the East and the West.”
The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita is a powerful spiritual guide for modern India and the world: it offers a practical path to finding God and seeing all of life as an expression of divine consciousness.
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