Bhagavad Gita makes debut in Communist China

Beijing, Jun 18: Bhagavad Gita, a sacred ancient Indian scripture, has made its debut in China after its Chinese version was released during an international Yoga conference being held in the Communist nation.

Translated by Prof Wang Zhu Cheng and Ling Hai of Zhejiang University in Shanghai and published by Sichuan People's Publications, the book was launched at a function attended by eminent Yoga teachers from India who had converged at Dujiangyan in southwestern Sichuan province to attend Yoga Festival.

The book was released by Indian Ambassador to China Ashok K Kantha yesterday. The foreword for the book was written by K Nagaraj Naidu who was till recently the Consul General at the Indian Consulate in Guangzhou.

Ancient Buddhist scriptures are well known in China as they made their way from the times of Huen Tsang journey to India in the 7th century.

This is perhaps the first time a well known Hindu ancient religious text has been published in China. Last year, scholars from India and China published an Encyclopaedia on the age-old cultural contacts between the two countries, tracing back their history to over 2000 years.

About 21 eminent yoga teachers are providing training to about 700 yoga enthusiasts from all over China under the first India-China (Chengdu) International Yoga Festival.

The five-day Yoga festival will end on June 21, the first UN Yoga Day during which a number events are planned all over China and Hong Kong.

PTI