Bhagavad Gita

Overview

Sacred Hindu scripture is freshly presented in adventurous, contemporary English poetry, capturing the wildness of the original Sanskrit language that has been lost in generations of listless prose translations. Long considered among the most important texts in the history of literature and philosophy, the 700 verses here capture the dialogue between Krishna, revered by Hindus as a manifestation of God, and the character of Arjuna on the battlefield before the start of the Kurukshetra War. Explaining not only the duties of a warrior but also elaborating upon different Yogic and Vedantic philosophies through examples and analogies, this major ancient Indian epic has often been described as a concise introduction to Hindu theology and a practical, self-contained guide to life.

Author Biography

Mani Rao was a visiting fellow at the Iowa International Writing Program in 2005 and 2009 and received the 2006 University of Iowa International Programs writer-in-residence fellowship. She is the author of eight poetry books, including 100 Poems 1985–2005and Ghostmasters, and translations of her poems have been published in Latin, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, French, and German. She lives in Decatur, Georgia.