Rating: 
Summary: Beyond compare
Review: To call this book a commentary would be a mistake. This book is magnificient revelation, bursting forth, as it were, from the oceanic wisdom mind of Paramahansa Yogananda. The Gita is perhaps the scripture that most profoundly recognizes all valid paths to Godliness. Channeled through the love-eloquence of the Master's realization, its timeless holiness blazes a beautiful trail in your heart.
Rating:
Summary: Eternal Classic
Review: Very rarely does a book of such breathtaking depth and significance come along. If you buy one book to help you find REAL answers on the spiritual path, let it be this one. Yogananda's "God Talks With Arjuna" is destined to be a classic, not merely for one or two or a dozen generations, but for centuries. I am certain it will prove to be one of the greatest books of history.
Rating:
Summary: God Talks With YOU
Review: Well how can you leave a review on the Bhagavad Gita. The ancient Hindu Scripture. The eternal Truth's contained herein can no more be critiqued than can the same truths expressed through the New Testament. What I can offer an opinion on however is this annotated version of the timeless Gita by the Great Paramahansa Yogananda. It's like having a copy of the New Testament in which every verse has been personally annotated and explained by the Christ Himself. I'm sorry to any devoted Christians here if I've offended you by making a comparison between Christ and Yogananda, but my own belief is that they are both illumined Masters from different times, places and cultures.
Although raised in an Irish Catholic family with a strong Christian heritage I always found that the Eastern philosophies, and particularly the Gita touched me and appealed to me on a soul level in a way that the Christian teachings did not. Even though I recognise they embody the same eternal truths. This has got to be the most wonderful version of the Gita I have encountered. It feels as though Krishna is speaking directly to me through it's pages, and if my understanding should be in any doubt then Yogananda is there to explain the true meaning of it's verses. I have 2 copies. One that I have scrawled all over and highlighted, and the other I keep in pristine condition.
Rating:
Summary: Written from the highest state of consciousness
Review: What some people may not know is that this book was not so much "written" as it was dictated from the highest state of samadhi, according to those disciples who recorded the Master's words. Yogananda spent little or no time pondering the what words should be written, but spoke directly from Spirit to those monastics who were recording his words, without pause. This can be inferred from the preface of this holy book, in which we find these passages: "[A] monk, entering the room where Guruji was working [on God Talks with Arjuna], remembers: 'The vibration in that room was unbelievable; it was like walking into God.'" "'I dictate scriptural interpretations and letters all day,' Paramahansaji wrote to a student during this period, 'with eyes closed to the world, but open always to heaven.'" Yogananda says that reading this book or any spiritual book so directly inspired by God actually will raise the consciousness of the reader while one is reading (though doing so is obviously no substitute for meditation: Self-Realization cannot be attained by reading alone). This is no surprise as you will find in this book an unparalleled clarity, even among Yogananda's own works (I would not say it is better than his other works, as each book of his has its time and place, but this book has a unique style of language that may be most accuratly described as pure wisdom). However, this book is not for the merely curious, as it is a huge work and may take lifetimes to understand, although the curious may find themselves committed for life to truth and yoga meditation after reading a few passages from this holy scripture.
Rating:
Summary: A "Deep" commentary
Review: When looking for a commentary on the Gita, you should be aware of the different types. Some (like Yogananda's) are very comprehensive and drawn-out, others (like Gandhi's, for example) are more simple and straightforward. Both types have their respective value. The deeper commentaries can plumb the hidden crevices of a work, while the more general works give a very useful intuitive grasp of the whole. The brilliance of Yogananda's Gita is that it effectively turns the entire poem into a metaphor for the spiritual quest, most notably via the path of meditation. Yogananda clearly feels each stanza in the depth of his being, managing to bring forth both hidden esoterica and very practical spiritual advice. However, I have personally found it more useful to begin with a more general commentary, getting an overall feel for the poem and its philosophy before launching into a commentary like this. If you don't have an overall feel for the Gita, Yogananda's commentary might make you feel like your getting "too close" to each individual sloka without seeing the whole structure.
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Summary: UNIQUE IN SPIRITUAL INSIGHTS !
Review: When one reads the Bhagavad Gita, some amazing things become quickly evident. First of all it is the coherence, integrity and completeness of this document, as well as the high level of spiritual message it contains. These are the words of the millennial messiah Lord Krishna (circa 3,000 BC) and there must be about 100 English translations of this work now existent. From Yogananda's Gita one will experience the essence and practical life application of the ancient Vedas. It is considered to be a divine revelation of universal and ecumenical appeal. Giving the serious followers of all religions (or no religion) deeper insights and understanding of the divine plan and purposes for humanity. It has given unsurpassed spiritual inspiration to many great souls of the East and the West for centuries. When the Gita was first published in English in 1776, European scholars immediately recognized its' similarity to the teachings of Jesus and attempted to date it circa 300AD, suspecting the influence of Christian thought. However, it now assumes a date of about 800 BC when first put into written word. Many readers of the Gita have also recognized that this is the same teaching JC introduced into the Mediterranean area 2 millennia ago. Thus one need not decry the term "New Testament", as it was no doubt new to many persons in that era and area during J C's ministry. Paramahansa Yogananda's translation and commentary is transforming to the heart, and refreshingly believable to the intelligent mind. It also stands as a remarkable and valued document of world spiritual literature. "GOD TALKS WITH ARJUNA" is a unique reference document about the spiritual life (for those of all religions). With many previously unpublished and original insights about comparative religion, the human psyche, ecumenicity, the Science of Yoga, and esoteric spiritual teachings. His teaching mastery is displayed by the simple manner by which he expounds all practical matters about life. It also gives evidence as to the illustrious nature and talents of the author, a renowned Hindu Yogi who came to America in 1920, and opened the west to the science of Kriya yoga meditation and the higher mystical teachings of the Sanatana Dharma. In this unique synthesis, Yogananda presents of the teachings of Jesus and Krishna in a revelation of complimentary harmony and fresh insights that come from one who is a pure instrument Self-Realization. From one who has lived and demonstrated these sacred principles in this world of great life tests. Bringing the worlds' resources of spiritual wisdom and literature, both practical and mystical, to a new level of clarity and completeness. A level that fills in a lot of missing links and unanswered questions for the seeker, free of narrow or exclusive claims and pronouncements, or dogmatism. Another plus for those who know English is that this spiritual document was originally written in English and has not yet suffered the effects of time and language translations. The author, Paramahansa Yogananda, founded the Self-Realization Fellowship as the only authorized source for the publication of his writings and the dissemination of his teachings. This is a veritable soul feast for the truth seeker, the student of comparative religion, and the serious philosopher. Your approach to the spiritual part of life may take on a surprisingly new and deeper dimension. A detailed, "how to live manual". Also Recommended:...... Autobiography of a Yogi...............Man's Eternal Quest................ Journey to Self-Realization....Finding the Joy Within You...........The Science of Religion. Sanctuary of the Soul...Enter the Quiet Heart.............A World in Transition... Inner Peace... Metaphysical Meditations.......all from Self-realization Publishers.
Rating:
Summary: I revere this work
Review: Yogananda gave us so much in this offering. This is by far the greatest literature I have read, studied, meditated upon. I have now had this Gita set for 6 years.
Admittedly it is not for everyone but for those who are prepared to persevere to discover truth, then Yogananda's treatise here will keep you inspired for hours, days, months, years.. this will certainly stay with me for the rest of my life.
Rating:
Summary: The Bhagavad Gita as it has always been.
Review: Yogananda's translation and interpretation of the Gita encompasses the full spectrum of human psycophysiological nature, it's origins and raison d'etre, leaving nothing to chance or speculation, while at the same time teaching us how it can be truly mastered by the sincere soul searching for a way out of this mess, our own creation, we now know as life on earth.
Anything that can be said about this book can only be made justice by reading it and, moreover, experiencing its profounds truths. Not to be missed under any circumstances, whatsoever.
Rating: 
Summary: Spiritual warriors on the battelfield of daily life
Review: Yoganandas purports are great insights in the souls struggel for enlightenment. He takes the Bhagavad Gita as a symbolic description of inner forces of human life: the field of Kurukshetra is the human body, the Pandavas are representing the functions of the different chakras and Krishna is the divine aspect of the soul. Yoganandas explanations are generally based on Kriya Yoga.
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