The Briton Who Translated The Bhagavad Gita Into English

While the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita are available worldwide in several languages, credit for making this religious text accessible to the English-speaking world goes to a British Orientalist, Sir Charles Wilkins.

Wilkins was a remarkable man and had a flair for languages. He came to India in the late 18th century and started his career as a printer and a clerk with the British East India Company. Soon enough, he was posted in Benares, where he learnt Sanskrit and became the first-ever individual to translate the Bhagavad Gita into English. He titled his work Bhagwat-Geeta or the Dialogues of Kreeshna and Arjoon.