English translation with original Sanskrit and transliteration. Annotations based on the commentaries of Saṅkara, Rāmānuja, and Madhva ācāryas.
Three classical interpreters of Bhagavad Gita: Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva acaryas, have so influenced the course of Hindu thought, that a modern student who reads the Gita with an eye to these three commentators will have obtained a balanced exposure to the theological expanse of the work. It is the nature and beauty of the Sanskrit language that it invites multiple interpretations. Dr. Shukavak's solution to this problem has been to utilize a system of annotation in the form of footnotes, which allows him to make a particular translation and then to show an alternative translation or interpretation when it is appropriate. The system of annotation utilizes the commentaries of Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva acaryas. Dr. Shukavak has translated Bhagavad Gita in a scholarly way, but not so scholarly that the general reader will find it obscure. Moreover, it is written from a perspective in which the Gita appears as much more than a work of world-class literature, but as a living religious text meant to inspire faith in the Divine. If you only read one book of Hindu scripture-let that be Bhagavad Gita. Even though it can be read in just a few sessions, it captures the very essence of Hindu thought.