Interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and the Images of the Hindu Tradition

The Bhagavad-Gita is probably the most popular - and certainly the most frequently quoted and widely studied - work of the Hindu scriptures. This book investigates the relationship between the various interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and the Hindu tradition. Taking into account a range of influential Indian and western thinkers to illustrate trends in writing about the Bhagavad-Gita including Western academic; Indian activist; Christian theological; Hindu universalist; perennialist mystical and contemporary experiental accounts. Examining the ideas of such influential figures as F Max Muller, M K Ghandi, Bede Griffiths, Swami Vivekananda, Aldous Huxley and Swami Bhakivedanta, this book demonstrates the inextricable link between different interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and images of the Hindu tradition. This accessible book aptly demonstrates the relevance of the Bhagavad-Gita for an understanding of Hinduism as a modern phenomenon. Cover......Page 1 Half Title ......Page 2 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Table of Contents......Page 8 Preface......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 11 Introduction: the Bhagavad-Gītā and modernity * the construction of 'Hinduism', 'religion' and 'scripture'......Page 12 1 Academic and scholarly writing......Page 48 2 Social and political activism......Page 65 3 Christian theological and missionary critiques......Page 82 4 Universalist visions......Page 97 5 Romantic and mystical insights......Page 115 6 Contemporary teachers and movements......Page 132 Conclusion: the role and importance of the Bhagavad-Gītā * global presence and contemporary media......Page 155 Notes......Page 165 Bibliography......Page 181 Index......Page 198 "This book investigates the Bhagavad-Gita's rise to prominence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and its relationship with the Hindu tradition in the modern era." "It features a range of influential Indian and Western thinkers to illustrate trends in writing about the Bhagavad-Gita, including Western academic, Indian activist, Christian theological, Hindu universalist, perennialist mystical and contemporary experiential accounts. Examining the ideas of such influential figures as F. Max Mutter, M. K. Gandhi, Bede Griffiths, Swami Vivekananda, Aldous Huxley and Swami Bhaktivedanta, this book demonstrates the inextricable link between different interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and images of the Hindu tradition."--BOOK JACKET