Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation
by Stephen Mitchell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen MitchellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-08-27
ISBN: 0609810340
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780609810347
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation
Book Review: Beautifully written, but a somewhat flawed translation
Summary: 3 Stars
I give this book two and a half stars for it reads well, but unfortunately it is not always accurate in places. It is not even a question of a debatable translation due to the difficulties of Sanskrit, it is more serious: Steven Mitchell every now and then deliberately omits whole sentences, phrases or words (apparently due to his desire to have his translation flow in four line verses) and this sometimes significantly changes the intended meaning of the verse. I also noticed at least one instance of moving a line from the end of a prior verse onto the beginning of the next verse (10.33 / 10.34.)
Example: in 6.36 (page 95) on Sankhya-yoga he renders the verse, where Krsna is replying to Arjuna, as follows:
"Yoga is indeed hard
for those who lack self-restraint;
but if you keep striving earnestly,
in the right way, you can reach it."
He has left out a crucial sentence in the verse, namely the additional sentence [Sanskrit: "me matih"] spoken by Krsna (lit. The Blessed Lord):
"In my opinion" or "[This is] my opinion."
Now at first glance it may not seem like much to leave this sentence out, but in truth the sentence is significant as two verses earlier Arjuna says: it seems to me that restraining the mind is as difficult as mastering the wind. The implication is that Arjuna is saying restraining the mind can't be done. So Krsna is gently correcting Arjuna by saying "In my opinion". Krsna is making sure that Arjuna's statement is understood to be an opinion by saying his [Krsna's] own statement is also an opinion. Of course, Krsna's opinion is authoritative, but by this "In my opinion" we see how Krsna corrects Arjuna in a very gentle and respectful way.
Another view is that Krsna is validating Arjuna, as Arjuna saying "it seems to me" could be viewed as Arjuna is just giving his opinion and so Krsna speaks in a similar manner which shows the intimacy of their friendship.
Further, there may be the following meaning as well. There is a tradition in Hinduism that believes whatever pure devotees say must come true as they are so pure they can't tell an untruth. So Krsna manages to "change" Arjuna's statement into an opinion and hence is possibly preventing Arjuna from telling an untruth.
Either way the omitted sentence is significant, while its presence may be subtle, it should not have been left out, especially as this work is considered a translation.
In my opinion, Steven Mitchell, by his omissions along with other errors in translation significantly alters the meaning of the Bhagavad Gita here and there, and thus his book can't be seriously considered an accurate translation, but rather a translation biased by personal interpretation and his desire to have his translation flow in four line verses. Nothing wrong with this, but it would be more accurate if the title of his book made it clear what the reader was getting.
Finally, the commentary is limited and not very deep. (In my opinion.) However, his knowledge of Zen comes through as he sometimes compares passages of the Bhagavad Gita with sayings of Zen masters in his commentary/notes.
Summary of Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation
Stephen Mitchell is widely known for his ability to make ancient masterpieces thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and create versions that are definitive for our time. His celebrated version of the Tao Te Ching is the most popular edition in print, and his translations of Jesus, Rilke, Genesis, and Job have won the hearts of readers and critics alike. Stephen Mitchell now brings to the Bhagavad Gita his gift for breathing new life into sacred texts.The Bhagavad Gita is universally acknowledged as one of the world's literary and spiritual masterpieces. It is the core text of the Hindu tradition and has been treasured by American writers from Emerson and Thoreau to T. S. Eliot, who called it the greatest philosophical poem after the Divine Comedy. There have been more than two hundred English translations of the Gita, including many competent literal versions, but not one of them is a superlative literary text in its own right.
Now all that has changed. Stephen Mitchell's Bhagavad Gita sings with the clarity, the vigor, and the intensity of the original Sanskrit. It will, as William Arrowsmith said of Mitchell's translation of The Sonnets to Orpheus, "instantly make every other rendering obsolete."
From the Hardcover edition.
On the list of the greatest spiritual books of all time, the Bhagavad Gita resides permanently in the top echelon. This poem of patently Indian genius sprouted an immense tree of devotional, artistic, and philosophical elaboration in the subcontinent. The scene is a battlefield with the prince Arjuna pitted against his own family, but no sooner does the poem begin than the action reverts inward. Krishna, Arjuna's avatar and spiritual guide, points the way to the supreme wisdom and perfect freedom that lie within everyone's reach. Worship and be faithful, meditate and know reality--these make up the secret of life and lead eventually to the realization that the self is the root of the world. In this titular translation, Stephen Mitchell's rhythms are faultless, making music of this ancient "Song of the Blessed One." Savor his rendition, but nibble around the edges of his introduction. In a bizarre mixture of praise and condescension, Mitchell disregards two millennia of Indian commentary, seeking illumination on the text from Daoism and Zen, with the Gita coming up just shy of full spiritual merit. Perhaps we should take it from Gandhi, who used the Gita as a handbook for life, that it nourishes on many levels. --Brian Bruya
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