The Bhagavad Gita
translated by Laurie L. Patton
One of the central Sanskrit texts, The Bhagavad Gita is an early epic poem that recounts the conversation between Arjuna the warrior and his charioteer Krishna, the manifestation of God. In the moments before a great battle, the dialogue sets out the important lessons Arjuna must learn to change the outcome of the war he is to fight, and culminates in Krishna revealing to the warrior his true cosmic form, counselling him to search for the universal perfection of life. Ranging from instructions on yoga postures to dense moral discussion, the Gita is one of the most important Hindu texts, as well as serving as a practical guide to living well.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Note on the Translation
Further Reading
THE BHAGAVAD GITA
THE FIRST DISCOURSE
THE SECOND DISCOURSE
THE THIRD DISCOURSE
THE FOURTH DISCOURSE
THE FIFTH DISCOURSE
THE SIXTH DISCOURSE
THE SEVENTH DISCOURSE
THE EIGHTH DISCOURSE
THE NINTH DISCOURSE
THE TENTH DISCOURSE
THE ELEVENTH DISCOURSE
THE TWELFTH DISCOURSE
THE THIRTEENTH DISCOURSE
THE FOURTEENTH DISCOURSE
THE FIFTEENTH DISCOURSE
THE SIXTEENTH DISCOURSE
THE SEVENTEENTH DISCOURSE
THE EIGHTEENTH DISCOURSE
Glossary of Names
Commonly Used Epithets
Notes
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Paperback Edition
288 pages. Printed card cover.
ISBN: 9780140447903
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About the Translator
Laurie L. Patton currently serves as the President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. At the Academy, her first years have focused on engaging members in strengthening democracy, developing dynamic intellectual resources, learning from the local, and advancing the free pursuit of knowledge. A scholar, poet, translator, and educational leader, she was the first female President of Middlebury College from 2015–2025, Dean of Arts & Sciences and Durden Professor of Religion at Duke University, and Inaugural Director of the Center for Faculty Development and Candler Professor of Religion at Emory University.
Patton is a scholar of Indian religions, and religion and the public square. She has authored or edited twelve books and seventy articles in these fields. She is the translator of the classical Sanskrit text, The Bhagavad Gita, for Penguin Classics Series, and has lectured widely on interfaith issues and questions of religion, conflict, and civic life.
