Since I am a Hare Krishna Devotee: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's translation [unabridged edition] of the Bhagavad-gita entitled, "Bhagavad-gita as-it-is"
In his edition, each of the gita's 700 verses is presented replete with:
a) actual sanskrit script/text,
b) each sanskrit word in each verse is transcribed phonetically,
c) each sanskrit word is translated "Sanskrit-to-English" [Word-for-word],
d) An authentic English rendering of the Verse by a bonefide Swami in the linage of gurus dating back to Krishna himself ---hence the appellation: "as-it-is" *
e) Commentary ---from a real indian Babaji Guru from Vrindavan India that arrived on the world scene at the Height of the American Vietnam War & the apex of the "Flower-Power" and the "Sex-Drugs-and-Rock & Roll" generation.
The gita discusses 5 topics:
Ishvara - the nature of Godhead
Prakriti - the nature of material metaphysics
Jiva - the nature of the indiviual soul
Kala - the influence of "Time"
Karma - the influence of "Work"
IRONICALLY, I must advise you to concider reading the Gita [in english] in its original source material, namely, as one chapter in the Great Epic of Ancient India, the MAHA-BHARATA, where the Gita is a scene that occurs well into the story of the Mahabharata ('the great Bharata').
The court intrigue among the royal Dynasty of Old "Bharata" (aka, India) represents a trans-generational epic spanning approximately four or five generations of the Royal Court at the end of the last epoch ['Yuga'] in India (3,000 BC).
The gita's dialogue occurs on the first day of a civil war that had long finally occuered after decades of brewing animosity between the Royal cousins ---some taking one side, and, the others siding with Arjuna ---moments before the first volley was shot, Arjuna lamented that both armies were comprised of relatives, and so he desisted from starting the battle, just as he rolled his chariot between the readied parties.
Thus, Arjuna's Cousin Krishna, who had earlier volunteered to be Arjuna's chariot driver, turned to Arjuna and commenced to review for him all the considerations of Duty as per the traditions and injuctions of the Vedic Knowledge ---as the armies stood by waiting the first calvalery charge;
2] hence to read the Gita is to actually engage in Yoga!
3] According to the Vedas: all phenomena emanates from Maha-Vishnu.
'Nirvana' ('without qualities') is the first step of the Yoga-Ladder toward self-realisation.
a "brahman" realisation:
I] realisation of 'brahman/nirvana' as omnipresent & behind the rising & falling material elements/energy; and,
II] as the stuff of which a soul is composed of.
b "param-atma" realisation = God's localised life-forse presence in each soul.
c "bhagavan" realisation = God's Absolute Personage, transcendent to the material world.
4] According to the Vedas the soul is part and parcel of the "Supreme-Soul".
The Grand surprise is the the "Supreme-Soul" is a Person ['Bhagavan' ('the possessor and source of all opulences')]. According to the Vedas the soul is a person. According to the Vedas the soul is active by nature ---so the buddhist sense of Nirvana as the "Goal of merging the soul into a state of non-being" is a myth borne of a lack of knowledge that the "nature of the soul(s)", of all living entities, is "Persona".
The life-force in all animate bodies is the precence of a "Soul", and that soul is striving birth-after-birth seeking the supreme soul ---this is the mystery of life.
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Mind you, all schools and classifications of In-the-Know-knowledge is explicity passed down person-to-person [like the kids party game, "telephone"] ---most times it is required by a seeker of knowledge to travels great lengths, pay large fees & pass strict exams ---all inorder to be admitted to a circle of those in-the-know.
Similarly, I am attempting here to simply relay the contents of scriptures & sutras to pass on the Dharma selflessly.
your ardent wellwisher, worts and typo-graphical errors all,
Bhaktajan
