The Bhagavad-Gita for the Modern Reader: History, Interpretations and Philosophy

309 Pages·2016·1.54 MB·English

by  M V Nadkarni

THE BHAGAVAD-GITA FOR
THE MODERN READER
What is the Bhagavad-Gita ? Is it just a religious text? When was it
composed? How relevant is it to the modern world?
This book answers these foundational questions and more. It criti-
cally examines the B hagavad-Gita in terms of its liberal, humanist
and inclusive appeal, bringing out its significance for both present
times and novel applications. The author elaborates the philosophy
underlying the text as well as its ethical and spiritual implications. He
also responds to criticisms that have been levelled against the text by
Ambedkar, D. D. Kosambi and, more recently, Amartya Sen. The vol-
ume proposes new ways of utilising the text in diverse fields, such as
business and management and scientific research.
Eclectic and accessible, this work will be of interest to scholars of
philosophy, religion, history, business and management studies, as well
as the general reader.
M. V. Nadkarni is presently Honorary Visiting Professor at the Institute
for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bengaluru, and a Member of
the Governing Body at the Centre for Multi-disciplinary Development
Research (CMDR), Dharwad, Karnataka, India. An economist by pro-
fessional training, with specialisation in agricultural and ecological/
environmental economics, he is actively interested in development
economics, political economy, history, sociology, philosophy, ethics,
religion and Gandhian Studies. He was the Indian Council of Social
Science Research (ICSSR) National Fellow for two years (2002–04)
and Vice Chancellor of Gulbarga University, Karnataka, India from
1999 to 2002.

THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
FOR THE MODERN
READER
History, interpretations and philosophy
M. V. Nadkarni
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
an informa business
© 2017 M. V. Nadkarni
The right of M. V. Nadkarni to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
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ISBN: 978-1-138-20231-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-43900-6 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
य(cid:232)य मलू ं (cid:215)वया प्रोक्तं ममेित (cid:233)यपयर् े कथम ् /
कोऽहमपणर् कतार् (cid:232)यां य(cid:232)याि(cid:232)त(cid:215)वं (cid:215)वया कृतम ् //१//
(cid:215)वं (cid:232)वीकु(cid:509)(cid:231)वािखलकायकर् तःर् कृत(cid:219)त ु िकि(cid:209)चत ् तव प्रीितजातम ् /
गीताथसर् ार(cid:232)त ु जनेष ु ग(cid:224)यः (cid:215)वदीयकाय(cid:566)ऽि(cid:232)म िनिम(cid:215)तमात्रम ् //२//
भिणता भगव(cid:622)गीता ब(cid:233)वीिभः भा(cid:231)यभङ्िगिभः /
तासां तिलनता(cid:215)पय र्ं ग्र(cid:219)थेऽि(cid:232)मन ् िविनवेिदतम ् //३//
िवभ्रमे भि(cid:215)सतर् ा गीता िवतक(cid:566)ण िवमशकर् ैः /
सतकर्ं ख(cid:214)डनं तषे ां िवनयेनवै भािषतम ् //४//
कालक्रमेण गीतायाः प्रयोगा आगता नवाः /
कथनं चािप तषे ां िह िव(cid:232)तरेण समिपतर् म ् //५//
वाचकेष ु (cid:229)यव(cid:232)थाियन ् िव(cid:230)वेशऽऽ िव(cid:230)वव(cid:215)सल /
वि(cid:219)द(cid:215)वाsनेन ग्र(cid:219)थेन िवनम्रं (cid:215)वां यजा(cid:224)यहम ् //६//
Transliteration
Yasya mulam tvaya proktam mameti hyarpaye katham /
Koaham arpana-karta syam yasyastitvam tvaya kritam //1//
Tvam sweekurushwakhilakaryakartah kritam tu kimchit tava pritijatam /
Gitarthasarastu janeshu gamyah tvadiya karyesmi nimittamatram //2//
Bhanita Bhagavadgita bahvibhih bhashya-bhangibhih /
Tasam talina-tatparyam granthesmin viniveditam //3//
Vibhrame bhartsita Gita vitarkena vimarshakaih /
Satarkam khandanam tesham vinayenaiva bhashitam //4//
Kalakramena Gitaya prayoga agata navah /
Tesham kathanam chaapi savistarena samarpitam //5//
Vachakeshu vyavasthayin Vishwesha-a Vishwa-vatsala /
Vanditvaanena granthena vinamram tvam yajamyaham //6//
Translation
How can I dedicate this as mine whose source is (as) told by You?
Who am I to dedicate whose existence is created by You? //1//
Even then, Oh Doer of Everything, accept
what little is done born from your love!
The essence of the Gita needs to be disseminated among people;
I am just an instrument (nimitta) in Your own work. //2//
The Bhagavad-Gita is spoken of by numerous waves of (bhangibhih)
commentaries;
their underlying (talina) purport (tatparyam) is narrated in this book. //3//
The Gita has been criticised in confusion by critics with false arguments;
their refutation is presented (here) logically and politely only. //4//
In the course of time, new applications (prayogah) of the Gita have
come into vogue;
their narration is also offered in good detail. //5//
Through this book, I salute (and) propitiate (yajami) You in all mod-
esty, the Lord of the universe,
(who is) affectionate to all, and nicely abiding among the readers. //6//
[The original Sanskrit verses and their
translation are both by the author]
CONTENTS

Preface ix
Key to transliteration xiv
1 Significance of the Gita, its date and authorship 1
As a sacred text; As a part of the Mahabharata; Date and
authorship
2 Classical commentators of the Gita 27
The Gita in the rest of the Mahabharata, and the Puranas;
Shankara; Bhaskara; Ramanuja; Madhva; Others in the
Sanskritic tradition; Jnaneshwari – The Gita goes to people
at large; Appendix to Chapter 2 on the three Acharyas
and their philosophies
3 The Gita goes global 59
Wilkins’s English translation, impact and reactions;
Reception in Germany; Further spread
4 Makers of modern India and their interpretations
of the Gita 77
Raja Rammohan Roy; Bankimchandra; Theosophical Society
and Annie Besant; Bal Gangadhar Tilak; Swami Vivekananda;
Lala Lajpat Rai; Mahatma Gandhi; Aurobindo Ghose; Swami
Sahajananda Saraswati; Jawaharlal Nehru
5 Contemporary interpretations 118
Swami Ramdas; D. V. Gundappa (DVG); Swami Sivananda; K. M.
Munshi; S. Radhakrishnan; Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda;
vii
CONTENTS
Vinoba Bhave; A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; Swami
Ranganathananda; Eknath Easwaran; Swami Chinmayananda;
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; Swami Dayananda Saraswati
6 Philosophy of the Gita 166
The Gita and the pursuit of happiness; Ethics in the Gita;
God and His world; Sadhana: spiritual striving
7 Criticisms of the Gita and responses 222
Contradictions; Historicity; Is the Gita other-worldly?
amoral? deterministic?; Is the Gita reactionary?; The Gita
and its deontology; Miscellaneous criticisms
8 Novel applications 248
The Gita as a guide to leadership, enterprise and management;
Pursuit of truth in scientific research; Success in career and life
Glossary 277
Bibliography 281
Name index 290
Subject index 293
viii
PREFACE
I have been exposed to the S hr i mad-Bhagavad-G i t a (the Gita in short)
since childhood. However, it was only after my retirement from sala-
ried service in 2002 that I could give a serious attention to it, and I
started a systematic study of its many translations along with com-
mentaries and interpretations. The sheer simplicity and at the same
time complexity and profundity of the Gita fascinated me. The deep
desire that was dormant during all these decades to know what all the
tremendous literature on the Gita added up to, and how the Gita helps
humankind, came to the surface as a compelling force. This book is as
much a product of my struggle to understand the Gita in all its aspects
as it is an outcome of equally strong urge to share this knowledge with
all those who may not have the time or patience to read the vast lit-
erature on the Gita on their own. The adage that one gains by sharing
applies conspicuously to knowledge.
There are, however, thousands of books already on the Gita includ-
ing some 2,000 translations in English, not counting many in Indian
languages. Why this book again? Is there anything special about it?
There is, I plead. First of all, it has a historical perspective, exploring
not only its origin, but also its long career in terms of translations,
global spread, and influence particularly in India both before and after
independence. The book starts with an introduction which explains
what made the Gita a sacred book over two-and-half millennia, its
place in the Mahabharata and the question of the date of its composi-
tion and also of authorship (see Chapter 1 ). The next four c hapters
(2 – 5 ) trace four main phases in the subsequent career of the Gita. The
classical interpreters in the first phase like Shankara focused on the
metaphysical and s a dhan a aspects of the Gita, mainly in the Vedic tra-
dition. During the next phase, paradoxically under the colonial rule,
the Gita was launched on a global travel and accepted as a text of
ix