Review - Srimadbhagavadgita & Bhagavad-Gitarthaprakashika
By Chintaharan Chakravarti
Summary
This review covers two exegetical works on the Bhagavad Gita. The first, Srimadbhagavadgita with Sarvatobhadra by Rajaṇaḳa Rāmakaṇṭha, edited by T. R. Chintamani, presents a critical edition of Rāmakaṇṭha’s commentary based on five manuscripts from Poona and London. The editor’s introduction discusses the commentator’s philosophical views and refutes claims that Shankaracharya’s Gitābhāṣya was unknown in Kashmir before the 10th century. The second work, Bhagavad‑Gītārtha‑Prakāśikā of Upaniṣad‑Brahma Yogin, edited by the Paṇḍits of the Adyar Library, is part of a series of Upaniṣad commentaries. While the volume lacks indices and variant readings, it includes a long introduction by C. Kunhan Raja on the extent and nature of the Gita. The reviewer notes that the Poona edition of the same commentary appeared while this volume was at press and that delays in publication have diminished its novelty. Nevertheless, both works are welcomed as significant contributions to the vast literature on the Gita.
Conclusion
The reviewer commends the critical edition of Rāmakaṇṭha’s commentary for its careful collation of manuscripts and its scholarly introduction, while noting that the Adyar Library’s Bhagavad‑Gītārtha‑Prakāśikā would have benefited from indices and textual notes. Together, the volumes enrich Gita exegesis and underscore ongoing scholarly interest in the text.