{"product_id":"the-bhagavad-gita-a-biography-9780691139968","title":"The Bhagavad Gita: A Biography","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe life and times of India's most famous spiritual and literary masterpiece\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eBhagavad Gita\u003c\/i\u003e, perhaps the most famous of all Indian scriptures, is universally regarded as one of the world's spiritual and literary masterpieces. Richard Davis tells the story of this venerable and enduring book, from its origins in ancient India to its reception today as a spiritual classic that has been translated into more than seventy-five languages. The \u003ci\u003eGita\u003c\/i\u003e opens on the eve of a mighty battle, when the warrior Arjuna is overwhelmed by despair and refuses to fight. He turns to his charioteer, Krishna, who counsels him on why he must. In the dialogue that follows, Arjuna comes to realize that the true battle is for his own soul. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDavis highlights the place of this legendary dialogue in classical Indian culture, and then examines how it has lived on in diverse settings and contexts. He looks at the medieval devotional traditions surrounding the divine character of Krishna and traces how the \u003ci\u003eGita\u003c\/i\u003e traveled from India to the West, where it found admirers in such figures as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Aldous Huxley. Davis explores how Indian nationalists like Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda used the \u003ci\u003eGita\u003c\/i\u003e in their fight against colonial rule, and how contemporary interpreters reanimate and perform this classical work for audiences today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAn essential biography of a timeless masterpiece, this book is an ideal introduction to the \u003ci\u003eGita\u003c\/i\u003e and its insights into the struggle for self-mastery that we all must wage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard H. Davis\u003c\/b\u003e is professor of religion at Bard College. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eLives of Indian Images\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eRitual in an Oscillating Universe: Worshipping Siva in Medieval India\u003c\/i\u003e (both Princeton).\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50491908817170,"sku":"9780691139968","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b47f72e8-edfd-4e90-9aec-decb75aba512.jpg?v=1730561274","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-bhagavad-gita-a-biography-9780691139968","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}