The Uddhava Gita: Following the Bhagavad Gita - The Final Teaching of Krishna by Swami Ambikananda Saraswati
An English translation of the companion to the Hindu scripture, The Bhagavad Gita. Written in the later-9th or early-10th century AD, it contains the last message of the Krishna on the importance of devotion and action according to what is right. Though the underlying message is the same as The Bhagavad Gita, 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 makes the metaphors of Hinduism accessible to a Western readership, while seeking to remain 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.