E-Book Content
th Anniversary Edition
The Bhagavad Gītā WINTHROP SARGEANT Foreword by Huston Smith Editor’s Preface by Christopher Key Chapple
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th e bhag ava d g¯i t a ¯
SUNY series in Cultural Perspectives Antonio T. de Nicolás, editor
¯ T H E BH AGAVA D G¯I TA Twenty-fifth-Anniversary Edition
Translated by WINTHROP SARGEANT Edited and with a Preface by CHRISTOPHER KEY CHAPPLE Foreword by HUSTON SMITH
e xcelsior editions state uni versit y of new yor k pr e s s a lban y, new yor k
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany ©2009 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. Excelsior Editions is an imprint of State University of New York Press For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu Production by Dana Foote Marketing by Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bhagavadg¯ıt¯a. English & Sanskrit. The Bhagavad G¯ıt¯a / translated by Winthrop Sargeant ; edited and with a preface by Christopher Key Chapple ; foreword by Huston Smith.—25th anniversary ed. p. cm. — (Suny series in cultural perspectives) Translated from Sanskrit. Previously published: ©1984. ISBN 978-1-4384-2841-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4384-2842-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) I. Sargeant, Winthrop, 1903–1986. II. Chapple, Christopher Key, 1954– III. Title. BL1138.62.E5 2009b 294.5’92404521—dc22 2009000540 10 9
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To my dear wife, Jane
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CONTENTS Foreword by Huston Smith
ix
Editor’s Preface with a User’s Guide for the Word-by-Word Analysis of the Bhagavad Gı¯ta¯
xix
Translator’s Preface
1
The Language of the Bhagavad Gı¯t¯a
3
The Setting of the Bhagavad Gı¯t¯a
9
List of Abbreviations Used in the Vocabularies
35
Epithets Used in the Bhagavad Gı¯t¯a
37
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FOREWORD Huston Smith
I have written over thirty-five forewords to books, but none with the urgency with which I write this one. Why is that the case? Because this edition of the G¯ıt¯a looks so daunting that general readers are likely to conclude that it is not the one for them. But that would be a serious mistake, for the truth is that this is a multivalent book—there is something in it that will reward every serious reader. Christopher Chapple’s admirable preface summarizes the Bhagavad Gı¯t¯a’s plot and positions it in the vast literature of the Vedas. For Sanskrit scholars no stone is left unturned: abbreviations for grammatical usages—active, ablative, accusative, adjective, and adverb—are entered, and both English and Sanskrit grammar is remarked. It would be tedious to argue further the comprehensiveness of the book’s grammatical workout, but scholars can be assured that the coverage is exhaustive. A list of abbreviations that are used in the volume is included, as well as epithets (nicknames) that appear in the G¯ıt¯a. When we turn to the text proper, for every line the Sanskrit is printed, followed by the transliteration of that line, and finally, the line’s English translation. For those who only want to read the G¯ıt¯a’s story, therefore, the book is literally a page-turner, for all they need do is to read the verses on the bottom left-hand side of each page. However, should readers