Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

The book opens with a copyright notice, illustrated cover pages, a preface, and an extended introduction. In the preface, Prabhupāda explains that the complete edition restores the original manuscript with Sanskrit verses, transliteration, word-for-word equivalents, translations, and purports. The introduction presents the Bhagavad-gītā as Gītopaniṣad, the essence of Vedic knowledge, and explains that it should be understood according to the intention of its speaker, Lord Kṛṣṇa. It emphasizes the disciplic succession (paramparā) from Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna and states that the text is best understood by a devotee. The work identifies five central subjects of the Gītā: Īśvara, the supreme controller; jīva, the living entity; prakṛti, material nature; kāla, time; and karma, action. The main chapters then unfold Kṛṣṇa’s teaching to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, moving from ethical crisis and self-knowledge to karma-yoga, jñāna, meditation, devotion, divine and demonic qualities, the three modes of nature, and final surrender to Kṛṣṇa.