INTRODUCTION TO THE BHAGAVAD GITA AS IT IS

by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

The Bhagavad-gita is also known as Gitopanisad. It is the essence of Vedic
knowledge and one of the most important Upanisads in Vedic literature.

There are many commentaries on the Bhagavad-Gita in English, and the necessity
for another edition should be explained on the following basis: an American lady
asked me to recommend an English edition of the Bhagavad-gita which she could
read. I was unable to do so in good conscience. Of course, there are many
translations, but of those I have seen—not only in America, but also in India—none
can be said to be authoritative, because in almost every one of them, the author has
expressed his personal opinion through the commentaries, without touching the
spirit of Bhagavad-gita' as it is.

The spirit of Bhagavad-gita is mentioned in the gita itself. It is like this: if we want
to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow the directions written on the
label of the bottle. We cannot take the medicine according to our own directions, or
the directions of a friend not in knowledge of this medicine. We must follow the
directions on the label or the directions of our physician. The Bhagavad-Gita also
should be accepted as it is directed by the speaker himself. The speaker is Lord Sri
Krsna. He is mentioned on every page as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or
Bhagavan. Bhagavan sometimes means any powerful person or demigod, but here it
means Krsna. This is confirmed by all the great teachers, including Sankara and Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In India there are many authorities on Vedic knowledge, and
they have virtually all accepted Sri Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
We should therefore accept Bhagavad-Gita as it is directed by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead Himself.

Now, in the Fourth Chapter, the Lord tells Arjuna that this yoga system of the
Bhagavad-Gita was first spoken to the Sun-god:

The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga
to the Sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the
father of Mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku. This
supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic
