Book excerpt: Two friends have a conversation at the outset of an epic war. One of them, Arjuna, is sad and confused in the face of imminent doom; the other, Krishna, decides to cheer him up and clear his doubts. Through the course of their battlefield dialogue Krishna assumes the role of a mentor and inspires Arjuna, teaching him the timeless wisdom of the 'Bhagavad-Gita'. The Easy Bhagavad-Gita is so exceedingly easy that a 5000 year-old discourse feels intimate, accessible, and contemporary. And it is a great place to start if one wants to know about India's grand heritage, religion, art, culture, philosophy, and spirituality.