The Bhagavad Gita by Eknath Easwaran

╭ introduction
In the still mind, in the depths of meditation, the Self
reveals itself. Beholding the Self by means of the Self, an
aspirant knows the joy and peace of complete fulfillment.
(6:20)
THE ESSENCE OF THE GITA
The Gita does not present a system of philosophy.
It offers something to every seeker after God, of whatever
temperament, by whatever path. The reason for this universal
appeal is that it is basically practical: it is a handbook for Selfrealization
and a guide to action.
Some scholars will find practicality a tall claim, because
the Gita is full of lofty and even abstruse philosophy. Yet even
its philosophy is not there to satisfy intellectual curiosity; it
is meant to explain to spiritual aspirants why they are asked
to undergo certain disciplines. Like any handbook, the Gita
makes most sense when it is practiced.
As the traditional chapter titles put it, the Gita is brahmavidyayam
yogashastra, a textbook on the supreme science of
yoga. But yoga is a word with many meanings – as many, perhaps,
as there are paths to Self-realization. What kind of yoga
does the Gita teach?
The common answer is that it presents three yogas or even
four – the four main paths of Hindu mysticism. In jnana yoga,
the yoga of knowledge, aspirants use their will and discrimination
to disidentify themselves from the body, mind, and
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