The Bhagavad Gita, also known as the Gita, is one of the world’s oldest and most influential spiritual texts. Part of the Mahabharata, composed by Ved Vyasa anywhere between the fifth and second centuries BCE, the 700 verses of the Gita are set in the form of a dialogue between Arjuna, one of the five Pandavas, and Lord Krishna, his charioteer, on the great battlefield of Kurukshetra. Arjuna is filled with despair about the violence and death the imminent war between the Pandavas and their cousins, the Kauravas, will cause, and is also grappling with other moral dilemmas. The Krishna–Arjuna dialogues cover a broad range of topics, touching upon ethical concerns and philosophical issues that go far beyond the eighteen-day war that is about to take place.
In this beautifully illustrated book, Neema Majmudar, Nandini Mirani, and Saloni Jhaveri give us profound insights into the teachings of Lord Krishna by translating, analysing, and explaining forty-five key verses of the Gita especially chosen for their logic, wisdom, and practicality. Finding Meaning in Life with the Bhagavad Gita will enable us to address the larger challenges of life that we have little control over, such as pandemics, wars, and economic crises, as well as concerns that are unique to each one of us—the search for meaning in our daily existence, success in our careers, happiness in our personal lives, as well as our longing for personal fulfilment.
NEEMA MAJMUDAR has a master’s degree in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University. She has studied the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Sanskrit with Swami Dayananda Saraswati.
She worked for almost twenty years at the United Nations, before becoming a full-time teacher of Vedanta and the Gita. Neema and her husband, Surya Tahora, conduct regular workshops and retreats on Vedanta.
NANDINI MIRANI has an MBA in finance from Boston University, and has worked in consulting, paper, and social impact industries. She serves as an active trustee of the non-profit Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital (MPUH). Outside of this role, she combines her study of Vedanta with her passion for reading and writing.
SALONI JHAVERI has an AB in economics from Barnard College. She co-founded and ran a software company for twenty-two years. She has been involved with the Times Litfest as a curator for children’s events. She enjoys her varied pursuits including nutrition, philosophy, reading, yoga, and travel.
The authors can be reached at thegita45@gmail.com
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