The Bhagavad Gita has been chanted and read in homes and workplaces. Children and families love to recite it during festivals and gatherings. It is the discourse that instructs man to realign himself to his duty and responsibility. It is the scripture that creates a strong foundation for implicit faith and concordant action in day to day life.
How may we read the Gita? Its verses are written in a meter known as Anushtup Chhanda consisting of 32 syllables each. The traditional way to recite is to pause after 8 syllables. However the commonly available editions of the Bhagavad Gita do not give any such pause.
This is a Reader that lists all the 700 verses of the Gita with pauses at 8 syllables i.e. at each quarter, in Devanagari to Latin Transliteration using the IAST standard. This makes it very easy for the English reader to quickly learn the proper chanting procedure. The split of the verses is done using Grammar rules of Sandhi as given in the Ashtadhyayi of Panini, a timeless masterpiece on language, word formation and syntax.
The correct method to read the Visarga, and the Avagraha is clearly explained. The Devanagari Alphabet pronunciation key is also supplied.
Thus it fulfills a basic academic need of individuals, schools or colleges using the Bhagavad Gita in any manner. Most institutes imparting Sanskrit teaching also use the Gita and this book is an apt textbook for the same.
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Verse as chanted, pausing at each pada quarter verse
yatra yogeśvaraᳲ kṛṣṇaḥ , yatra pārtho dhanurdharaḥ |
tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtiḥ , dhruvā nītir matir mama || 18.78
Proper recitation of the Bhagavad Gita has immense power to enliven any atmosphere and make oneself soaked in devotion to the Divine. It is a highly healing experience in itself.
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A useful and complete book for an Amateur or the Scholar.
