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The Bhagavad Gita in Context:
Library and Internet Resources on The Bhagavad Gita and Its Times

 

Reference Books The Bhagavad Gita in Context
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Overviews of The Bhagavad Gita

 

De, Souman. "The Historical Context of The Bhagavad Gita and Its Relation to Indian Religious Doctrines." [ Online ] Available: http://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/carson.htm [Accessed 30 March 2001].

Souman De's essay on the Bhagavad Gita--from the Exploring Ancient World Cultures site at the University of Evansville--deals with xxx.


Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics. Editor-in-chief, Ruth Chadwick. San Diego: Academic Press, c1998.

The article on "Hinduism" by Robert D. Baird includes a discussion of the principle of "nonviolent resistance" (Ahimsa) which is "an important attitude for understanding a number of Hindu ethical stances."There's also a glossary of relevant terminology as well as a select bibliography of sources.

CALL NUMBER: Ref BJ63 .E44 1998 -- v. 1-4


The Encyclopedia of Religion. Mercea Elide, editor in chief. New York: Macmillan, 1986.

In their article on the "Bhagavadgita," Eliot Deutsch and Lee Siegel note that it is "perhaps the most widely read and beloved scripture in all Indian religious literature" teaching the principle of "devotion to god as ameans to liberation, whether that liberation is understood as release from the world or freedom in the world." Their article provides a context for text (which is one of the "Hundred Minor Books" of the epic Mahabharata), looks at the philosophical foundation of the text, and discusses its longevity and its power to sanctify the lives of those who experience it. Related articles include:

CALL NUMBER: Ref BL 31 .E46


"Bhagavadgita." EncyclopÊdia Britannica Online. [ Online ] Available: http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?idxref=247167 [Accessed 30 March 2001].

Available to members of the Union community via EncyclopÊdia Britannica Online, this article says of the Bhagavadgita that it "goes far beyond the ethical question with which it begins, to consider broadly the nature of God and the means by which man can know him. The greatness of the scripture lies in its description of both the end and the means." The online article includes a link to the following EncyclopÊdia Britannica Online articles:


Masterpieces of World Philosophy. Edited by Frank Magill; selection by John K. Roth with an Introduction by John K. Roth. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1990.

The essays on the "Bhagavad Gita" succinctly lay out the principal ideas advanced, offer an overview, and suggest further readings for students wishing to study the work in greater depth.

CALL NUMBER: Ref B 75 .M37 1990


Subject Dictionaries

Grimes, John A.
A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanscrit Terms Defined in English
. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989.

A one-volume "introduction to the basic terms found in the major schools of Indian philosophy.

CALL NUMBER: Ref B 131 .G67 1989


Bibliographies and Research Guides

Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism. Detroit: Gale, 1992—

Extended excerpts from critical interpretations and commentaries on The Bhagavad Gita starting with the 11th–12th century commentary by Ramanuja, one of the great figures of medieval Indian philosophy, and concluding with Barbara Stole Miller's 1986 essay. There is also an introductory essay and an annotated bibliography of sources for further reading.

CALL NUMBER: Ref PN 610 .C530 v.12


BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Bhagavad Gita in Context

The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. by Paul Edwards. New York: Macmillan, 1967.

The article on "Hinduism" discusses "The Gita" portion of the Mahabharata.

CALL NUMBER: Ref B 41 .E5


"India." Britannica Online. [ Online ] Available: http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=121169&sctn=1 [Accessed 2 October 2000].

An overview of Indian history. Available to members of the Union community via Britannica Online.


"Indian Philosophy: The Philosophical Portions of the "Mahabharata." Britannica Online. [ Online ] Available: http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=109263&sctn=7 [Accessed 2 October 2000].

Available to members of the Union community via Britannica Online, this article discusses the epic in terms of the process of the integrating non-Aryan communities into the framework of Aryan beliefs, practices, and institutions.


Brockington, John. "Origins of Indian Philosophy." In Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy. Edited by Brian Carr and Indira Mahalingam. London and New York: Routledge, 1997.

Brockington discusses how the Indian epic poems provide evidence of the development of Hinduism as a religion and how the Bhagavadgita (contained within the narrative of the Mahabharata) has become the main religious text for many Hindus.

 

CALL NUMBER: Ref B 121 .C66 1997


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SOURCES OF RESEARCH MATERIALS: BOOKS

Books -- Online Catalog

The Online Catalog is a computerized listing of this library's materials--books, government documents, and sound recordings.

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Link to a more extensive listing of subject headings on the Bhagavad Gita.

 


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THE VIRTUAL LIBRARY

Relevant World-Wide Web Sites for
Understanding the Context for The Bhagavad Gita



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SOURCES OF RESEARCH MATERIALS: PERIODICALS DATABASES

Scholarly periodical databases give a researcher access to articles on specific subjects that have appeared in variety of periodicals. Such databases may cover a broad area of study the way Humanities Abstracts and Arts and Humanities Search do. Others, such as Bibliography of Asian Studies, focus more sharply. Most journal articles listed are written by scholars and aimed at other researchers in that field, making them particularly important research sources. Searching a database will give the researcher the bibliographic citation needed to identify and locate a specific work on a topic: author, title of article, journal title, volume and issue number, date, and pages. An abstract briefly summarizes an article's contents.

Some online databases—EBSCOhost, H.W. Wilson Select Full Text in FirstSearch, and ProQuest Direct—include the full text of at least some of the articles online. Databases are accessible via the Library's Electronic Resources Page.

Relevant online databases for research on The Bhagavad Gita and its context include:

OCLC FirstSearch Databases:

 


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Schaffer Library Resources on The Bhagavad Gita in Context represents the work of Bruce Connolly, Reference Librarian, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308; 518/388-6281; Fax 518/388-6641; and Gail M. Golderman, Electronic Media Librarian, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308; 518/388-6624.

Last revised on April 05, 2001

 


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