Sri Madhva’s Commentary and Summation on Bhagavad Gita


By: Nagesh D. Sonde


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Gita Bhashya & Tatparaya Nirnaya Translated from Sanskrit with notes Review :

“This book is a translation in English of Sri Madhva’s Bhashya of the Bhagavad Gita and Tatparya Nirnaya.  This is supplemented by the explanatory notes of the author. . . the book is a  most welcome addition to the wealth of commentaries on the Gita, which is an inexhaustible subject and is bound to be immense value to those who aspire to serious study of Vedanta”.
Hindu News Magazine, 27th August 1996.

“It took me nearly two years for me to complete this book and I have just finished it. It is wonderful book and you have made the entire Gita Bhashya so lucid and understanding with verses, commentary, summation and explanation. As I was studying it, I could feel a strange feeling, a sensation of satisfaction going through my subconscious mind. I think that this book should be read again and again. Please accept my hearty congratulations and felicitations on making the Gita Tatparya of Sri Madhva so easy to understand . . . I wish Sri Hari and Sri Vyasa will give you more and more strength to write such books of Sri Madhvacharya to serve poor people like me who have no knowledge of Sanskrit, Dr. P. Raghavendra Rao, Vishakhpatnam, Andhra Pradesh.Letter dated 30th April 1998.  

“ (Mr. Sonde) appears to be quite conversant with the Philosophy of Madhvacharya in particular and Indian Philosophy in general. He also seems to be quite good in his knowledge of Sanskrit and also English. His foreword and Epilogue to the  book under review are well written, almost in an impassioned prose. His epilogue especially shows his mystic leanings. There is no doubt that the Author has immense  regard for Sri Madhva and mad made a very sincere and serious attempt at translating the text of the Gita, the Bhashya and Tatparya.. . . “
(This Reviewer has, however, been critical of the manner in which the Bhashya & Tatparya have been dealt by the Authror ) :

“ . . . The author has not brought out the spirit of the Bhashya and Tatparya, in the translation of the verses. The verses donot reflect the Bhashya & Tatparya. The Author himself admits . . . ‘. . . we have used the generally accepted words in the text leaving it to the acharya to offer his views”.  
“ . . . There is a confession by the author of this work that he has not faithfully translated the verses on the Madhva lines and has  been more than unjust to the achatya. In a sense, the readers who read this book thinking that its verses give Madhvacharya’s meaning of the verses, are taken for a ride by the author. . . The author has bungled and made a mess of Madhva’s thought. . .”
“. . . About the terminology. They are inexact, fanciful and far from correct. . . .”

“I can only say that the author is far from being successful and yet I am fully aware of the efforts which he has taken to accomplish this difficult task. The book, therefore, needs to be thoroughly revised. There are too many printing mistakes and grammatical mistakes. The author does not seem to have gone through the script before printing and before the final print order. Pages 12 and 21 are totally blank . . .”
“I admire the sincerity of the author. His mystic leanings are clear. He is sensitive person and his Shraddha in unquestionable. It is possible (but I am not sure) he is trying to express his vision, through the language of Dvaita Philosophy. Then, for that he has to stick to Dvaita Vedanta terminology faithfully. Otherwise his translations of the verses donot go well with the spirit of Bhashya and tatparya Nirnaya of Sri Madhva. Again the translation of the Bhashya and Tatparya Nirnay should be more faithful to the original . Terminological exactitude is most important and will do full justice to the great philosopher, or whom the author has very high regard.”
Dr. S. G. Mudgal, in Vol 73, the Journal of  the Asiatic Society of Bombay 1998.
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