“ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE PHILOSOPHICAL POEMS IN THE WORLD”: FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH OF THE BHAGAVADGITA, UNCUT IN ORIGINAL BOARDS
WILKINS, Charles, translator. The Bhagvat-Geeta; or, Dialogues of Kreeshna and Arjoon. London: C. Nourse, 1785. Quarto, original drab boards, uncut. Housed in a custom chemise and half morocco slipcase.
First edition in English of “one of the greatest and most beautiful of the Hindu scriptures.” An uncut copy in original boards.
"The Bhagavadgita [Song of God'], usually considered part of the sixth book of the Mahabharata, is a central text of Hinduism, a philosophical dialogue between the god Krishna and the warrior Arjuna" (Subhamoy Das). The poem consists of 700 Sanskrit verses divided into 18 chapters (here, "lectures"), and takes the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince Arjuna and his friend and charioteer, Krishna, who is also an earthly incarnation of the god Vishnu. The Bhagavadgita is of a later date than much of the Mahabharata and was probably written in the first or second century A.D. (Britannica). Sir Charles Wilkins "was the first Englishman to gain a thorough grasp of Sanskrit, and as such was greatly esteemed" (DNB). Wilkins was also instrumental in establishing the first press in Bengal, at Hoogly near Serampore, and he designed the elegant Bengali and Persian types used there. Bound without half title.
Interior fine, front inner paper hinge split, boards with only light soiling and wear. Quite desirable and rare in original boards.