Bhagavadgita in Sanskrit, Transliteration, and Translation

About the Book

The Bhagavadgita is the Song of the Lord. Hindus read the Bhagavgadgita as Christians, Jews and Muslims read the Bible and the Koran. Simplicity, sincerity, universality and profundity are the hallmark of the Bhagavadgita. It provides guidelines for daily living with no dogmas and ritual overtones. It encourages and supports your individuality. It also explains the consequence of errant life. Total surrender to Bhagavan releases the devotee from the ills of the Samsaric world. This book is for those people who are curious about Hindu religion, beginners in Sanskrit and the learned, if one is looking for word for word transliteration, word superscription, rearrangement of superscript-words into a readable form in English. The long compound words in Sanskrit are broken down into digestible syllabic and or word bites with superscription wherever there is a need. Diacritical marks decorate the transliterated words so that you can pronounce the words like a native Sanskritist.

The English words are modern and yet retain the flavor and grace contained in the Sanskrit verses. Each page nestles two verses in two boxes with no break and no carry-over to the next page. An addendum explains a chosen word or verse. The message is clear, concise and to the point. All can revel in the Grace of Bhagavan and attain fulfillment of life. The beauty about the Bhagavadgita is that it is universal in its appeal with no religious accretion and no intent to conversion. Hinduism as a term is an external appellation from Non-Hindus. Its original name is Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Law or Eternal Order) commensurate with Rta (Cosmic Order).

About the Author

I am Veeraswamy Krishnaraj, M.D, F.R.C.P (C). I received my pediatric diploma from the American Board of Pediatrics in 1966 and fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians in Canada in 1967. I retired from active practice by the end of 1998. Since then my only activity has been the study of Hindu and other religions. In my high school days, Bible study was part of my school curriculum. My family was not a stickler for or observer of ceremonies, rituals, or festivals. I always knew what other Hindu and Christian families did on their festival days. This unfilled need to know the innards of my own religion began during my medical school days, when I regularly attended lectures in the Hindu temples in the evenings. Bhagavad-Gita was the parting gift from my uncle upon my departure for USA in 1961. During my training and practice days, I regularly studied Hindu religion. I visited many temples in India and USA. I digested books after books on Hindu religion. I developed sufficient knowledge and understanding of Hindu religion that I felt confident to publish this book. I tried to keep the words simple, supple, illuminating and to the point, while retaining the original flavor, beauty and grace. Compound words in Sanskrit are a nightmare for the learner, as they are strung together compactly in one continuous stretch of characters. With the help of dictionaries and books, I parsed them into digestible syllables or words with superscripts and sequential numbers and rearranged the words in the verse in a readable form in English. It was laborious and yet very enjoyable and rewarding. In this book, I own the shortcomings and Bhagavan owns the rest. This book is good for students, devotees reading the Bhagavad-Gita in Satsang (true company) and all other interested persons. It makes a good gift. One among the many features of this book is that two verses nestle in two boxes in one page with no break and carry-over to the next page. This helps concentration and page reference easy for the reader. It is also easy on the eyes. Superscription of words and rearrangement of words in a readable form in English is another reader-friendly feature. Diacritics decorate the characters so much so you can enunciate the words like a Sanskritist. Most of the English words are user-conscious. Wherever there is a need for elaboration, an addendum supports it. At present, I live a retired life in the East coast, author, maintain and edit the web site, http://www.bhagavadgitausa.com. Veeraswamy Krishnaraj