Godsong

A Verse Translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, with Commentary

By: Amit Majmudar

Narrated by: Anuj Datta

Length: 6 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Born in the United States into a secularized Hindu family, Amit Majmudar puzzled over the many religious traditions on offer and found that the Bhagavad-Gita had much to teach him with its "song of multiplicities". Chief among them is that "its own assertions aren't as important as the relationships between its characters... The Gita imagined a relationship in which the soul and God are equals". It is, he believes, "the greatest poem of friendship...in any language". His verse translation captures the many tones and strategies Krishna uses with Arjuna-strict and berating, detached and philosophical, tender and personable.

The listener's guides to each section expand on the main text and what is happening between the lines in accessible terms. Godsong is an instant classic in the field, from a poet of skill, fine intellect, and - perhaps most important - devotion.

©2018 Amit Majumdar (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Ravishing and faithful, marked by what Nabokov once called ‘the precision of a poet and the imagination of a scientist.’ Majmudar has a gift for imagery... Godsong reveals how beautifully this 2,000-year-old book lends itself to the careful, loving work of translation.” (Parul Sehgal, The New York Times) 

“A well-crafted and exceptional translation of a spiritual and cultural masterpiece.” (Dave Pugl, Library Journal, starred review) 

“Reaches for the text’s beauty as well as its spiritual meaning... [Majmudar’s] summaries are succinct, pointed, and useful [and] his translation resonates with much that has come before him, absorbing and reflecting the long and rich tradition of Gita translations.” (Arshia Sattar, India Today)