The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda

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About The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita: Explained By

From the Inside Flap This revelation of India’s best-loved scripture approaches it from an entirely fresh perspective, showing its deep allegorical meaning and also its down-to-earth practicality. The themes presented are universal: how to achieve victory in life in union with the Divine; how to prepare for life’s "final exam," death, and what happens afterward; how to triumph over all pain and suffering. This book is itself a triumph. Swami Kriyananda worked with Paramhansa Yogananda in 1950 while the Master completed his commentary. At that time Yogananda commissioned him to disseminate his teachings worldwide. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, Kriyananda’s eighty-sixth book, is the crowning achievement of his highly productive life. In this, his masterpiece, he declares, "Yogananda’s insights into the Gita are the most amazing, thrilling, and helpful of any I have ever read." Product Description Rarely in a lifetime does a new spiritual classic appear that has the power to change people's lives and transform future generations. This is such a book. The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita shares the profound insights of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, as remembered by his direct disciple, Swami Kriyananda. This commentary unlocks the Gita's depthless wisdom with striking clarity, inspiration, and hope for a modern audience. From Publishers Weekly Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters), a lifelong disciple of the influential guru Yogananda, affirms his claim as an authoritative student of his master with this work. Because Kriyananda parted ways with Yogananda's organization, this book also rivals Yogananda's own commentary on this classic Indian scripture, which is published by his organization. Western students can certainly use all the help they can get in understanding the cultural specifics of the Bhagavad Gita in order to appreciate this story of universal questions asked of God on the eve of a battle. Kriyananda offers an interpretation that amounts to an explication of kriya yoga, a yoga system that is a philosophy and way of life. This comprehensive view will aid his or Yogananda's students, though anyone coming to this book seeking more general interpretation may find the text very hard to follow. The Gita's verses are completely broken up by commentary, making them impossible to read continuously, and most of the first chapter of the Gita isn't even included. The exposition itself rambles, requiring slow, methodical reading and patience with Sanskrit terms. Neophytes who want to open the Bhagavad Gita need another key; this book doesn't speak to beginners.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From the Publisher ""It is doubtful that there has been a more important spiritual writing in the past 50 years than this soul-stirring, monumental work. Through a mind blessed with special clarity, Swami Kriyananda has brought us his most vivid memories of the explanations by Paramhansa Yogananda of the Bhagavad Gita, allowing us to hear with greater vibrancy than ever before the Melodies of the Divine. At last the "Lord’s Song" is not a mystery to our mind, but music to our ears! What a gift! What a treasure! My personal gratitude to Swami Kriyananda shall be everlasting." —Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God" About the Author SWAMI KRIYANANDA became a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda’s in 1948. His great guru trained him for a life of editing, writing, and lecturing to disseminate the teachings of Kriya Yoga worldwide. He has given thousands of lectures in many countries, written over eighty-five books, and composed over 400 pieces of uplifting music. Kriyananda is the founder of Ananda Sangha, a worldwide organization which disseminates Yogananda’s teachings. In 1968 he founded a spiritual cooperative community which has expanded to eight communities and ashrams in the United States, Europe, and I