French Professor Praises Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness embodies the essence of what is commonly known as Hinduism-a religion practiced by more than five hundred million people. Dr. Jean Varenne, Professor of Sanskrit Studies at the University of Aix-en-Provence in Marseilles, France, explains ISKCON's authenticity in the following review of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

"It is Indian tradition that all important spiritual masters explain for their disciples the fundamental text of Hinduism, the Bhagavad-gita…The founder of the Krsna consciousness movement (Hare Krsna) has followed this tradition; and now we have the French translation of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is.

"As for the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, they are obviously faithful to those of Caitanya, the celebrated apostle of a renaissance in bhakti (ardent devotion to Krsna), who appeared in the sixteenth century. From this point of view, this magnificently presented book is of inestimable value, for the West knows little of this major current in Hinduism. For many reasons, until now it has been the Vedanta of Sahkara or the yoga of Patanjali which has been the most easily accessible to us. These are, however, far from a complete representation of this multi-facetted, complex religion. The Hindus themselves, however, profess that all these paths converge and ultimately become one. Untiringly, Swami Bhaktivedanta insists on this one path as being bhakti, and that bhakti is the surest path of salvation (a conclusion supported everywhere in the Gita itself). One cannot help but enthusiastically recommend that others read such a work, which, from so many points of view, merits applause."