No work in all Indian literature is more quoted, because none is better loved,, in the west, than the Bhagavad-Gita. Translation of such a work demands not only knowledge of Sanskrit, but an inward sympathy with the theme and a verbal artistry.

The gita can be seen as the main literary support for the great religious civilization of India, the oldest surviving culture in the world. The pretend translation and commentary is another manifestation of the permanent living importance of the Gita.