Gita according to Visishtadvaita tradition

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Gita according to Visishtadvaita tradition

V. N. Gopala Desikachariar

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English translation of the commentary on the Bhagavad Gita by Yamuna, Ramanuja

and Vedanta Desika

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BHAGAVAD GITA SARAM - Part 2 (Chapters 7-12): Original Tamil commentary by

Tirukkallam Narasimharaghavachariar, N. Jagannathan - Tr. in English; TCN Trust,

124, 4th Street, Abhiramapuram, Chennai-600018. Rs. 100.

 

The Bhagavad Gita, one of the three most important sacred texts of Hindu

philosophy (the other two being the Upanishads and the Brahmasutras) has been

extensively and exhaustively commented upon.

 

Prominent among these commentaries are the ones by Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhva

with further glosses by their followers like Anandagiri, Vedanta Desika and

Jayatirtha.

 

The Gita comprising 18 chapters is generally divided into three sections of six

chapters each. The first section deals with Karma yoga and Jnana yoga; the

middle one with Bhakti yoga and the third and last elaborates on the finer

points of the earlier portions, culminating in the theory of Saranagati

(Self-surrender). The earliest Vaishnavite scholar to comment on the Gita was

Yamuna or Alavandar (10th Century A.D.), who wrote a terse commentary in just 32

verses in Sanskrit, known as the Gitarthasangraha followed by Ramanuja and

Vedanta Desika.

 

Interpretaion

 

 

This book is the English translation of the Tamil commentary on the second

section (chapters seven to 12) of the Gita by Tirukkallam

Narasimharaghavachariar, a profound scholar of repute and an acknowledged

authority on Vaishnavite philosophy. He was justly famous for his religious

lectures and more particularly on the Bhagavad Gita, which used to hold the

audience spellbound. The commentator explains in great detail the Visishtadvaita

interpretation of Ramanuja and Desika, for each verse. Even so, he has also

dealt with the salient points in the Advaita and the Dvaita interpretations, so

that the reader can make a comparative study of all the three viewpoints.

 

In this book, the text of the verses from the Gita and Githarthasangraha is

given in Sanskrit along with transliteration in English followed by

word-for-word meaning, summary and important points for consideration from the

three systems of philosophy.

 

Salient features

 

 

In addition, a fairly detailed summary is given in the beginning of each

chapter, in the form of a dialogue between the doubting Arjuna and the

benevolent Krishna, which sums up the contents of the chapter and is highly

useful.

 

The Lord's indwelling in everything as the invisible controller, even as a piece

of thread on which is strung a cluster of gems, His all-pervasiveness, loving

protection of sincere devotees, His equality towards all and His relishing even

a leaf or flower or fruit or water proffered with sincere devotion have all been

well brought out, with appropriate elucidations.

 

The moral qualities that are sine qua non for a practitioner of Bhakti yoga have

been nicely elaborated. The famous episode of Krishna revealing His cosmic form

has been portrayed in all glory and splendour.

 

The lucid explanation given of the four types of fools and four kinds of

devotees enunciated by Krishna and the exposition of the divine glories of the

Lord are praiseworthy. The translator has done a fine job in making the abstruse

philosophy of Gita intelligible even to the lay reader.

 

His translation in simple English is faithful to the original Tamil commentary.

In fact, the translation is so free flowing and lively that it can pass for the

original.

 

The printing is good and free from errors. The book has been nicely brought out

and will be useful for the English-knowing public to understand and appreciate

the Visishtadvaita interpretation of the Gita.

 

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