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The Bhagavad Gita is an early epic poem that recounts the conversation between Arjuna the warrior and his charioteer Krishna, the manifestation of God. In the moments before a great battle, the dialogue sets out the important lessons Arjuna must learn to change the outcome of the war he is to fight, and culminates in Krishna revealing to the warrior his true cosmic form, counselling him to search for the universal perfection of life. Ranging from instructions on yoga postures to dense moral discussion, the Gita is one of the most important Hindu texts, as well as serving as a practical guide to living well.
About : Laurie L. Patton (born November 14, 1961) is an American academic, author and poet who serves as the 17th President of Middlebury College. Previously, she was the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Early Indian Religions at Emory University before assuming the role of Robert F. Durden Professor of Religion and Dean of Arts and Sciences at Duke University.
Patton was named Middlebury's 17th President on November 18, 2014, and became Middlebury's first woman president upon taking office on July 1, 2015.
Patton graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard, a doctorate from the University of Chicago, and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2000. She focuses her research on early Indian rituals, narrative and mythology, literary theory in religious studies, and Hinduism in modern India. She has published on the interpretation of early Indian ritual and narrative, comparative mythology, literary theory in the study of religion, women and Hinduism in contemporary India, and religion and conflict.
