The Bhagavad-Gita is probably the most popular - and certainly the most frequently quoted and widely studied - work of the Hindu scriptures. This book investigates the relationship between the various interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and the Hindu tradition.

Taking into account a range of influential Indian and western thinkers to illustrate trends in writing about the Bhagavad-Gita including Western academic; Indian activist; Christian theological; Hindu universalist; perennialist mystical and contemporary experiental accounts. Examining the ideas of such influential figures as F Max Muller, M K Ghandi, Bede Griffiths, Swami Vivekananda, Aldous Huxley and Swami Bhakivedanta, this book demonstrates the inextricable link between different interpretations of the Bhagavad-Gita and images of the Hindu tradition.

This accessible book aptly demonstrates the relevance of the Bhagavad-Gita for an understanding of Hinduism as a modern phenomenon.

Catherine A. Robinson is Senior Lecturer in the Study of Religions at Bath Spa University; she is the author of Tradition and Liberation: The Hindu Tradition in the Indian Women's Movement (also published by Routledge).

Introduction 1. Scholarly and Academic Writing 2. Social and Political Activism 3. Christian Missionary and Theological Critiques 4. Universalist Visions 5. Romantic and Mystical Insights 6. Contemporary Teachers and Movements Conclusion