The Journal of Hindu Studies 2012;0:1–2 doi:10.

1093/jhs/his006
Book Review

Exploring the Bhagavad Gita: Philosophy, Structure and Meaning. By Ithamar

Theodor. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2010. ISBN: 9780754666585.
pp. xiþ160. $89.95.

After all the previous attention devoted to the Bhagavad Gita over the years
by scholars and others, it is difficult to imagine that someone could
contribute anything new to a discussion about the contents of this important
text located within the larger Mahabharata epic, but Ithamar Theodor does
accomplish the task of throwing new light upon the epic text with his
carefully designed book. From Theodor’s viewpoint, the Bhagavad Gita is a
coherent theological–philosophical treatise that is firmly unified as a
single text because of its conceptual structure, its basic assumptions, and
its prevailing ideas. In order to demonstrate the unifying structure of the
text, the author uses the metaphor of a three-storey house that includes a
staircase leading upwards and connecting one floor with another. The three
floors of the house represent different levels of reality, while the
ascending staircase stands for a transformational ladder of ethical and
spiritual refinement. Theodor explains further that the lower floor reflects
human life in the world, whereas the second floor represents an intermediate
floor, and the third floor stands for full absorption in the liberated
state. The transitional nature of the second floor is characterised by
renouncing the world and seeking the state of liberation that is realised on
the third floor. On each floor certain actions and forms of motivation are
required by the seeker in order to ascend the staircase. A person’s actions
are motivated by some utilitarian principle or gain on the first floor,
while the occupier of the second floor is focused on something beyond this
life. On reaching the third floor, the seeker surrenders the fruits of one’s
actions by performing deeds for the sake of duty (dharma) alone. Finally,
the highest state involves performing one’s duty while being liberated and
being totally immersed in the supreme. In summary, the author interprets the
Bhagavad Gat@ as embracing two ideals: supporting dharma which includes
assuming social responsibility and behaving morally, and also a path of
self-realisation as advocated in the Upanishads. In summary, the first floor
represents performing one’s duties according to dharma, the second floor
stands for dispelling doubts with the sword of knowledge and resorting to
yoga, and on the third floor the seeker attains devotion (bhakti) that
includes peaceful absorption in and constant thinking about God.
In addition to the metaphor of the house with its three floors and its
interconnecting staircase, Theodor provides the reader with a useful
introduction to the topic of the Bhagavad Gita. After the placing his topic
in its historical and cultural context in the introduction, the author
devotes the remainder of his study to a chronological translation of the
Bhagavad Gita and a commentary. The translation is very readable and
comprehensible, and the commentaries are often insightful. In short, Theodor
helps the reader grasp the text with his translation and commentary.
Moreover, he assists the reader’s comprehension of the epic text by
providing him with a structure that is easy to grasp. Overall, Theodor
provides the reader with an additional reading and interpretation of the
Bhagavad Gita that is uniquely his own. A discerning reader might ask
the following question of Theodor’s study: Does the author impose a
structure upon the text or is this structure suggested by the text? In order
words, does the structure come from the text itself or is it superimposed
upon the text? A different reading of the text could theoretically find
inherent tensions, ambiguities, and conflicting assertions. By imposing a
structure upon the text, the author gives the text more order than its
original author or authors intended or could supply, which is especially
true if the Bhagavad Gita represents the product of more than one author. In
addition, Theodor gives the impression that he is interpreting the text from
an Upanisadic and non-dualist perspective, whereas it is possible to read
the text from within the context of Sankhya philosophy with its dualism and
the role of the three gunas. The scenario of non-dualism causes Theodor to
stress absorption in God as the culmination of the journey up the stairs of
the house, whereas a more devotional reading of the text perceives the final
goal of the seeker as attaining a personal relationship with God in which a
devotee retains one’s personal identity. These types of alternative readings
and interpretations do not mare the overall excellence of this study.
Theodor’s study, translation, and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita is
destined to assume an important place in the scholarship devoted
to the epic text. This necessarily means that future scholars will have to
consider Theodor’s study or be considered deficient in their scholarship. In
summary, Theodor gives his reader much to admire, think about, and
appreciate.

Carl Olson
Allegheny College, 520 N. Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335, USA