A Gita for Every Year
I am writing a book about MK Gandhi’s global celebrity in the twentieth century — and, relatedly, the enduring popularity of the Bhagavad Gita after Gandhi’s provocative anticolonial reinterpretation in the 1920s.
At least one interpretation/translation/retelling of the Gita has been published every year since 1925. Here’s a partial list.
1925: Edgerton, The Bhagavad Gita; or, Song of the Blessed One: India's Favorite Bible
1926
1927
1928: Sri Aurobindo, The Message of the Gita (or Essays on the Gita)
1929: Ryder, The Bhagavad-Gita
1930
1931: Mukerji, The Song of God
1932
1933
1934
1935: Sri Purohit Swami, The Bhagavad Gita
1936
1937
1938: Sri Krishna Prem, The Yoga of the Bhagavat Gita
1939
1940: Yogananda, The Bhagavad Gita: Royal Science of God-Realization
1941
1942: Sri Swami Sivananda, Bhagavadgita
1943
1944
1945: La Violette, The Bhagavad Gita, an Immortal Song
1946: Desai, The Gita According to Gandhi
1947
1948: Radhakrishnan, The Bhagavadgita
1949: Rajagopalachari, Bhagavad-Gita: Abridged and Explained, Setting Forth the Hindu Creed, Discipline and Ideals
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954: Swami Prabhavananda, Bhagavad Gita: The Song of God
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962: Mascaró, The Bhagavad Gita
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita
1968: Deutsch, The Bhagavad Gita
1969: Zaehner, The Bhagavad-Gita
1970
1971: Stanford, The Bhagavad Gita: A New Verse Translation
1972: Swami Chinmayananda, The Holy Geeta
1973
1974: Parrinder, The Bhagavad Gita: A Verse Translation
1975
1976
1977: Amra Chitra Katha, The Gita
images on this page are from this edition
1978
1979: Bolle, The Bhagavadgita: A New Translation
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984: Sargeant, The Bhagavad Gita
1985: Easwaran, The Bhagavad Gita
1986: Miller, The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna's Counsel in Time of War
1987
1988: Saraswati, The Teaching of the Bhagavad Gita
1989
1990: Ghai, The Bhagavadḡitā: A Clear, Simple Guide to Understanding the True Values of Life and Achieving Supreme Happiness and Peace of Mind
1991: De Nicholás, The Bhagavad Gita
1992: Griffiths, River of Compassion: A Christian Commentary of the Bhagavad Gita
1993: Prakasha, Gita Bhashya
1994
1995: Pressfield, The Legend of Bagger Vance
1996: Curtis, Understanding and Standing Under the Bhagavad Gita
1997
1998: MacCuish, Patel, Jones, Walking with the Bhagavad Gita
1999: Piparaiya, The Bhagavad Gita, Your Charioteer in the Battlefield of Life
2000: Mitchell, The Bhagavad Gita
2001: Prabhu, A Song of Fortune: A Modern Gîtâ
2002: Jacobs, The Bhagavad Gita: A Poetic Transcreation
2003
2004: Dasi, Harmony and the Bhagavad-gita: Lessons from a Life-Changing Move to the Wilderness
2005: Dass, Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita
2006
2007: Swami Rama, Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad-Gita
2008
2009: Divakaruni, The Palace of Illusions
2010: Morrison, 18 Days
2011
2012
2013: Dasi, Our Most Dear Friend: Bhagavad-Gita for Children
2014: Bhattacharyya, Ballad Divine: Bhagavad-Gita
2016
2017: Barai, OOZE: Self Motivation from Bhagavad Gita in Modern Times
2018: Majmudar, Godsong: A Verse Translation of the Bhagavad-Gita
2019: Chopra, 7 Life Lessons From The Bhagavad Gita: On Living Purposefully In The Modern World
2020: Debroy, Bhagavad Gita for Millennials
2021: Khaitan, Seeds Of Advice To Sail Through Hard Times: Lessons From Bhagavad Gita & Modern Behavioral Science To Solve Life's Problems And Enhance Self Awareness
2022: Santoro, Hearing The Song of Your Soul: A Poetic Translation of the Bhagavad Gita
2023
2024
2025
Notes:
For the sake of simplicity, I have listed only one title per year even if there were multiple Gitas published that year. Also, I have not included versions published in languages other than English.
I haven’t read most of these yet. For what it’s worth, my personal and idiosyncratic recommendations are in bold. If you have personal favourites, let me know.
I am deeply indebted to Lorraine Lau for her work on this list.
This list is a selection from a work-in-progress. I welcome additions, corrections, etc. I’m also happy to share — if you’d like more information, please email me.