Swami Swarupananda, the first president of the Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, and late editor of the Prabuddha Bharata, compiled the present edition of the Bhagavad-Gita with the collaboration of his brother Sannyâsins at Mayavati, and some of the Western disciples of Swami Vivekananda. The manuscripts were begun in 1901, and were ready for the Press by the end of 1903, but through unavoidable circumstances the publication was delayed. It was only after the passing away of Swami Swarupananda that the work was brought out in monthly instalments in the Prabuddha Bharata, and this work is now presented to the public in convenient book form, after being carefully edited and enlarged with additional comments.
The object of the compiler was to make accessible to the Indian public who are educated in English but have a limited knowledge in Sanskrit, and also to the Western world, an edition of the Celestial Gita, in which they will feel sufficient interest to follow the original text, and thus create a taste for the study and interpretation of holy Sanskrit literature. How far the compiler has been successful in his object can be gleaned from the following pages. His thoughtful comments following the commentaries of the great Acharyas, and illuminating
sidelights thrown on intricate places, will, we trust, be of much help to the study of the Gita, especially to a beginner. An elaborate Index has been subsequently added.
A word of explanation as to the paraphrase is necessary here: Though the literal meaning of each word is given, yet to avoid the awkwardness of language and confusion of sense to a beginner, the equivalents of case terminals of such words as are used to qualify some other words in the sentence, are omitted in most cases.
We hope this edition will meet a much-felt want, not only in India but in all English-speaking countries.
The Editors and Publishers
ADVAITA ASHRAMA
MAYAVATI, HIMALAYAS
18th October, 1909