Sit Properly

*edit – quick note. I had some pretty bad typos and other gaffs in the first version of this post. They were pointed out to me and I changed them as much as I could. If there are others, please forgive my typographic ways and point them out to me. Thanks!

This post is one, mostly, for devotees (Hare Krishnas). If you’re interested in different translations and different perceptions of things from within a very specific spiritual belief system, you might find this interesting too. Everyone else, well, feel free to read it anyway. If you’re not careful, you might just learn something.

I recently picked up Garuda dasa’s new translation of the Bhagavad-gita. I’m impressed with it. He keeps it poetic without making it sound hokey all rhymey like so many other versions. His version has no commentary, but really, the whole point of it is the translation and how it’s laid out.

For awhile now, I’ve been interested in different translations of the gita. I’m not really concerned about those done by scholars, so much as those done by devotees (who are also scholars). So I’ve selected four from my collection and I’m going to do a bit of comparison.

The four are: Bhagavad-gita: As It Is by Srila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita: It’s Feeling and Philosophy by Tripurari Swami, Srimad Bhagavad-gita by Narayana Maharaja and lastly Bhagavad-gita: The Beloved Lord’s Secret Love Song (which, in my humble opinion, is a really bad title – but really, the only drawback that it has).

First, I’d like to comment about something many devotees have complained about. Many are upset that Srila Prabhupada’s disciples (and even godbrothers) have released their own translations and versions of Bhagavad-gita, even though Srila Prabhupada’s is definitive. It’s a good argument, I agree. It’s one that I personally gave when I heard that Tripurari Swami was writing his own version of the Gita. However, even though Srila Prabhupada’s is definitive does that mean that nobody should ever even give a class on the Bhagavad-gita? Afterall, why not simply read from Prabhupada’s Gita and be done with it?

Of course, that’s a silly argument. Bhagavad-gita commentaries have a rich history in our tradition. You’d be hard pressed to find an acarya in our lineage who hasn’t produced his own Gita.

So anyway, here, for whatever reason, is a comparison between four Gitas. I’ll be using five different commonly known verses, copying them exactly as they are presented in their books.

Chapter 2, Verse 13

As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.
-Srila Prabhupada

Just as the embodied soul experiences changes of body, such as childhood, adulthood, and old age, so similarly it will acquire another body after death. Wise persons are not deluded about this.
-Tripurari Swami

Just as the embodied atma passes from boyhood to youth to old age, similarly, after death, he passes into another body. An intelligent person is not bewildered by the birth and death of the body.
-Narayana Maharaja

Just as the embodied

    while in this body

    passes through childhood,

    youth, and old age,

So also the embodied

    attains another body -

    the wise person

    is not bewildered by this.

-Garuda dasa

Chapter 4, Verse 7

Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself.
-Srila Prabhupada

Whenever, O descendant of Bharata, dharma is diminished and unrighteousness is on the rise, at that time I myself manifest.
-Tripurari Swami

O Bharata! Whenever there is a decline of dharma and an increase in adharma, at that time I manifest My eternally perfect form in this mundane world.
-Narayana Maharaja

Indeed, whenever there is

    a decline of dharma,

    O Bharata,

And an emerging

    of what opposed dharma -

    at that time I send forth my Self.

-Garuda dasa

Chapter 5, verse 18

The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].
-Srila Prabhupada

The wise see equally a brahmana endowed with learning and culture, a cow, an elephant, and even a dog or a dog-eater.
-Tripurari Swami

The wise look with equal vision upon a gentle and learned brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a candala.
-Narayana Maharaja

In a Brahmin endowed with

    learning and gentle conduct,

    in a cow, in an elephant,

Even in a dog and

    in one who cooks dog -

    wise ones see the same [Supreme].

-Garuda dasa

Chapter 8, verse 5

And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remember Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
-Srila Prabhupada

At the time of death, a person who relinquishes his body, remembering me alone, attains my nature. Of this there is no doubt.
-Tripurari Swami

Whoever, at the time of death, leaves his body while remembering Me alone surely attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.
-Narayana Maharaja

And at the time of one's end,

    remembering me alone

    while giving up the body -

One who thus goes forth,

    goes to my state of being;

    about this there is no doubt.
-Garuda dasa

Chapter 9, Verse 34

Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
-Srila Prabhupada

Fix your mind on me. Be my devotee! Sacrifice for me. Offer obeisance unto me. Absorbed thus in me alone, you shall come to me.
-Tripurari Swami

Always absorb your mind in Me, become My bhakta, worship Me and offer obeisances unto Me. In this way, with mind and body fully surrendered in My service, you will certainly achieve Me.
- Narayana Maharaja

Be mindful of me

    with love offered to me;

    sacrificing for me,

    act out of reverence for me.

Surely you shall

    come to me,

    thus having absorbed

    your self in yoga with

    me as the supreme goal.
-Garuda dasa

Chapter 18, Verse 66

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.
-Srila Prabhupada

Forgoing all religious injunctions, take exclusive refuge in me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
-Tripurari Swami

Completely abandoning all bodily and mental dharma, such as varna and asrama, fully surrender to Me alone. I shall liberate you from all reactions to your sins. Do no grieve.
-Narayana Maharaja

Completely relinquishing

    all forms of dharma,

    come to me

    as your only shelter.

I shall grant you

    freedom from

    all misfortune -

    do not despair!

-Garuda dasa

Well there you go. Four Gitas, four authors, four versions. All of them written by practitioners of Gaudia Vaisnavism.

Now, personally, I prefer Srila Prabhupada’s edition (incidentally, I used his original translation from 1972, not the “revised and expanded” version). I really appreciate Tripurari Swami’s purports. Narayana Maharaja’s has some wonderful aspects to it as well. Garuda dasa’s interpretation is fascinating to me. It tries to preserve, as best as possible, the poetic (meaning the meter and the formatting) nature of the Gita. The other versions translate it as if it were prose. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. The Gita is often translated for the masses. The masses generally don’t do poetry, so it’s a wise move on the parts of Prabhupada, Tripurari Swami and Narayana Maharaja to use prose. But it really is wonderful to see it worded and arranged poetically.

Of course, it must be said that none of these versions would even exist if it weren’t for the work of Srila Prabhupada. He translated his Bhagavad-gita long before the others. The other versions are offerings to Srila Prabhupada, all mentioning him by name.

Any thoughts?