Newburyport Public Library

Godsong, a verse translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, with commentary, Amit Majmudar

eng

no index present

non fiction

Godsong

992180759

Amit Majmudar

a verse translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, with commentary

"A fresh, strikingly immediate and elegant verse translation of the classic, with an introduction and helpful guides to each section, by the rising American poet. Born in the United States into a secularized Hindu family, Amit Majmudar puzzled over the many religious traditions on offer, and found that the Bhagavad Gita had much to teach him with its "song of multiplicities." Chief among them is that "its own assertions aren't as important as the relationships between its characters. The Gita imagined a relationship in which the soul and God are equals"; it is, he believes, "the greatest poem of friendship. in any language." His verse translation captures the many tones and strategies Krishna uses with Arjuna--strict and berating, detached and philosophical, tender and personable. "Listening guides" to each section follow the main text, and expand in accessible terms on the text and what is happening between the lines. Godsong is an instant classic in the field, from a poet of skill, fine intellect, and--perhaps most important--devotion"--, Provided by publisher

Arjuna despairs -- Samkhya -- Karma -- Renounce through knowledge -- Renounce through works -- Concentrate -- Know and discern -- Brahman the imperishable -- Royal wisdom, royal secret -- Expansive glories -- Envision the universal form -- Devote yourself -- The field and the knower of the field -- Tell apart the three Gunas -- The highest human godhood -- Tell the divine from the demonic inheritance -- Tell apart the three kinds of faith -- Free yourself through renunciation -- Listener's guides to sessions 1-18