their translation, compared to others, "Extremely literal translations of the Gita already exist. We have aimed, rather, at an interpretation. Here is one of the greatest religious documents of the world: let us not approach it too pedantically as an archaic text which must be jealously preserved by university professors. It has something to say, urgently, to every one of us. Introduction by Aldous Huxley In Huxley's introduction, he takes a sweeping view of the Perennial Philosophy and touches on the history of the concept that there is an underlying reality that all the traditional religions acknowledge - the Godhead, Clear LIght of the Void, Brahman, etc. He also give us his Minimum Working Hypothisis, instruction for how to seek the highest reality. Gita and Mahabharata The translators give an in-depth analysis of the events leading up to the plot of the Gita. As the name suggest it is the story of the great (Maha) King Bharata. All of India is drawn into a war, which is used as a metaphor for the battle that we face inside ourselves. The battle of good vs. evil. The principle actors in the poem at Sri Krishna, and incarnation of God, and Arjuna, a "high-souled prince" who falters on the battlefield after seeing friends and family on the other side - who he is called to kill. Arjuna drops his weapons and declare he will not fight. The rest of the book has Krishna, Arjuna's friend and advisor, explaining the meaning of life and describing a life of right-conduct, through the various Yogas (paths). Chapters There are total 18 chapters and 700 verses in Geeta. These are: The Cosmology of the Gita After the 18 Chapters of the Gita itself, there is an Appendix where the translators explain how the Gita fits into the overall philosophy of Hindu religious literature. They also give a summary of Hindu cosmology and descriptions of the various deities in Hindu culture. The Gita and War Christopher Isherwood was a pacifist and conscientiousness Objector]] in WWII, having his father killed in WWI and seeing no effort by the allies to avoid head-long into the next war. In England he was a member of the Peace Pledge Union, and during the war while in the US, he did alternative service with the Quakers. In this section Isherwood explains that the Gita is neither pro- or anti- war. In certain