The Traditional Yoga Association

Indian sacred texts are varied and ancient. The most authoritative of them are the Vedas, known as ‘prabbhusammit vakya’ - the words of God. After the Vedas came the Puranas, which embed the truths conveyed in the Vedas in grand mythological stories that everyone can understand and in which they can find these truths. These Puranas are known as ‘shraddha vakya’ - the words of a friend. The Bhagavad Purana is one of the most loved of all. It is the story of Krishna, his exploits, his divergence from Brahmanical authority and his creation of the ‘bhakti marga’ - the Way of Rapture. In its heart-opening penultimate chapter, as Krishna prepares to depart from Earth, he is approached by his disciple, Uddhava. This final teaching of Krishna is what is known as The Uddhava Gita.

In this translation, Swami Ambikananda conveys the profound final teachings of Krishna in a language that does justice to the original Sanskrit, while making it accessible to everyone.

From The Uddhava Gita:

“The Radiant One Krishna said:
The guru is like the kindling
At the base of the fire,
The student is the wood placed on top —
The teaching is what connects them:
Together they produce the spark
That lights the fire of knowledge
Which brings true joy to all.”

Prof. Vachaspati Upadyaya, Vice Chancellor of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Sanskrit University, New Delhi, says of Swami Ambikananda’s translation and commentaries,

“... the commentaries on each dialogue will definitely add fresh thought to our existing stock of knowledge. Swami Ambikananda has a remarkable acquaintance with the teachings of Bhagavan Krishna... This translation is, in my opinion, a valuable contribution to bhakti literature, and deserves to be carefully studied by all serious students...”