The Uddhava Gita

An English translation of an essential companion to the much-loved Hindu scripture, the "Bhagavad Gita".

Only written down in the later 9th or early 10th century CE, the "Uddhava Gita" contains the last message of Krishna on the importance of devotion and action according to what is right.To properly understand Krishna's teachings we need both the "Bhagavad Gita" and the "Uddhava Gita".

Although the underlying message is the same, the approach of the two texts is different.

While the "Bhagavad Gita" is an urgent message delivered on the battlefield, the tone of Krishna's farewell to his friend Uddhava is gentle and more accessible.The "Uddhava Gita" is a mixture of sublime devotional passages and practical advice on how to live and meditate.

Swami Ambikananda Saraswati's translation uses language that seeks to make the metaphors of Hinduism accessible to a Western readership, while remaining faithful to the teachings of the original.

She has prefaced each of the 24 chapters with a short commentary to help the reader appreciate the underlying message of the text.