God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita

Overview

Paramahansa Yogananda's "God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita" offers a translation and expansive commentary on the ancient dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. The book reframes the Gita's battlefield setting as a symbolic stage for the inner struggle between higher consciousness and lower impulses, translating Sanskrit verses into accessible English while drawing on Yogananda's lifelong experience as a meditation master and teacher of Kriya Yoga.
The commentary moves beyond literal exegesis to present the Gita as a practical manual for spiritual realization. Yogananda emphasizes the universality of Krishna's teachings, portraying them as timeless instructions for cultivating inner peace, self-mastery, and direct communion with the Divine.

Yogananda's Interpretation

Yogananda interprets Krishna as the incarnate Logos or God-Word, the guiding inner voice that awakens spiritual awareness. Arjuna's confusion and moral paralysis become metaphors for the aspirant's doubts; the counsel offered is aimed at dissolving fear, clarifying duty, and inspiring steadfast devotion. Central to Yogananda's approach is the affirmation that true religion leads to direct experience of God through disciplined inner practice.
Commentary often moves into mystical psychology, explaining ethical dilemmas and metaphysical concepts through the lens of yoga and meditation. Yogananda frequently links scriptural imagery to states of consciousness, helping readers see how ancient teachings apply to inner transformation rather than merely to external ritual or social obligation.

Central Themes

Detachment and selfless action are presented as core principles: perform one's duties without attachment to outcomes, and thereby avoid bondage. This teaching is grounded in an understanding of the eternal Self as distinct from changing phenomena, encouraging action that arises from inner clarity rather than personal desire.
The unity of paths is another recurring theme. Yogananda harmonizes karma (action), bhakti (devotion), jnana (knowledge), and raja (meditative) yoga, showing how they interrelate and support progressive awakening. He stresses that devotion and disciplined practice coalesce into a living experience of God, with meditation as the central method for realizing the heart of the Gita's message.
Yogananda also highlights the vision of the universal form and the promise of immortality, interpreting them as revelations of higher states of consciousness available to sincere practitioners. Moral rectitude, spiritual discrimination, and inner surrender are framed as prerequisites for such experiential knowledge.

Practical Guidance for Modern Seekers

The book supplies practical directions for meditation, ethical living, and the cultivation of concentration. Yogananda offers instructions on breath control, techniques for quieting the mind, and attitudes to foster while practicing, making ancient prescriptions usable for contemporary seekers with busy lives and psychological complexities.
Rather than insisting on sectarian observances, the emphasis is on applying spiritual principles to daily decisions, relationships, and vocational responsibilities. The aim is to integrate the transcendent into ordinary life so that spiritual realization is expressed through compassionate action and inner freedom.

Style and Structure

Yogananda's prose blends poetic reverence with didactic clarity. Verses receive both literal translation and expansive commentary, often enriched by stories, analogies, and cross-references to other scriptures and mystic traditions. The narrative voice is both teacherly and intimate, reflecting the guru-disciple relationship central to his tradition.
The book is organized to follow the Gita's chapters while allowing digressions into deeper metaphysical explanation and practical instruction. This makes it useful both as a verse-by-verse study and as a source of meditative guidance.

Legacy and Relevance

This commentary has been influential among Western spiritual seekers seeking a synthesis of Eastern mysticism and practical spirituality. Its persistent message is that the Gita's wisdom is not antiquarian doctrine but a living, experiential pathway to self-realization. For those pursuing inner transformation, Yogananda's interpretation offers a roadmap that combines devotion, discipline, and direct practice.