Narla’s The Truth about the Gita
A short review of Narla’s book which I finally got around to reading…
This is an instant classic in the wake of another such book, Bazaz’s The Role of the Bhagavad Gita in Indian life. Narla’s book is a partial review and critique of Bazaz’s important work with a larger framework of discussion of the issues of both Hinduism and Buddhism. Although Narla’s secular humanism scores a lot of direct hits it is not always completely right on the questions of Indian spirituality, but overall its critique is utterly cogent and a lot of confused New Agers would do well to explore this vein. The Indian spiritual heritage is at risk in its current form and the fixation on the Gita is not the least of the problems. These questions are so complex that even most scholars fail to get anything straight. A competent guide such as Narla is essential to attempts to get the right information in the jungle of spiritual confusions here.
New Man, New Age, New Socialism 