Bagger Vance and the Bhagavad Gita

Using a golf allegory, Steven Pressfield tells a modern story based on an ancient scripture - the Hindu Bhagavad Gita.

 Set amidst the Great Depression, when people were struggling just to feed their families, The Legend of Bagger Vance uses the “game of golf” to discuss “the game of life.” Along the way, we meet some very interesting characters.

In this story behind the allegory, step back in time to meet two of golf’s greatest legends: Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. Learn about contributions to their sport and the legacies they left behind. Examine pictures from the Great Depression, when out-of-work people migrated west in search of a better life.

See how Pressfield creates fictional characters, based on the Hindu scriptures, to apply moral concepts to daily life. Bagger Vance is based on Bhagavan (the supreme Hindu god). Rannulph Junah becomes Arjuna (the mortal whom Bhagavan assists in the Bhagavad Gita). Track how the story parallels the epic as Junah begins to understand how to calm his nerves and become the best golfer that he can be.