“It has been my endeavor, as also that of some companions, to reduce to practice the teachings of the Gita as I have understood it.” ~ Gandhi, The Gita According to Gandhi, p. 126

In Gandhi’s religious tradition, not just anyone offers a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. Usually, this task is reserved for someone for whom the poem has come to life in their heart of hearts. This is why Gandhi’s translation of the text is so special: he was signaling to others how much he was growing inwardly; not to mention that he was in prison at the time!

He did not translate it from its original Sanskrit, as he was not very familiar with the ancient language. He worked with the Gujarati translation, mostly, but more importantly, he points out that his commentary was not based in an intellectual, scholarly pursuit. It was a lived pursuit. He wanted to try to live by the teachings of the Gita, and share with others the utter practicality and wisdom of this great story.

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About Daily Metta

Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom and experiments with nonviolence.

Our 2016 Daily Metta continues with Gandhi on weekdays. On weekends, we share videos that complement Michael Nagler’s award-winning book, The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our World. To help readers engage with the book more deeply, the Metta Center offers a free PDF study guide.

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