Bagger Vance and the Bhagavad-gītā

The Mystical Underpinnings of a Contemporary Golf Tale

Authors

  • Steven J. Rosen

Keywords:

Bhagavad-gītā, Krishna, Arjuna, golf, modern adaptation, Hindu philosophy, mythology in literature, spiritual metaphor

Abstract

The article "Bagger Vance and the Bhagavad-gītā: The Mystical Underpinnings of a Contemporary Golf Tale" by Steven J. Rosen explores the philosophical and thematic parallels between the Hindu scripture Bhagavad-gītā and the modern golf novel The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield. The article interprets the character of Bagger Vance as a reimagining of Krishna and the protagonist R. Junah as Arjuna, reframing the battlefield of Kurukshetra as a golf course in 1930s America. Through literary analysis, Rosen highlights how Pressfield’s narrative transmits profound spiritual teachings to a contemporary Western audience.

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Published

2001-06-20

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2001): Gītā (Part Two spring)

Section

Articles