u/Playful-Inevitable19

I've been trying to find a good translation to english, with no edits to the actual text and decent commentary (I guess. I never actually read commentary or introductions I just go straight to the text but I should start reading it a bit.)

I've heard good things about the Gita Press Srimad Bhagavad Gita and then both bad things like the translation to English being too cluttered and incoherent and then physical quality of the book when it arrives (I would rather have a physical copy than digital one.)

Then I also heard good things about the Bhagavad Gita: Song of God with Swami Mukundananda.

The problems I keep having are seeing a lot of people complain about the quality especially in the Gita Press one, I've seen a lot of other versions in my research and they all had these problems. Like lack of physical quality, bad translations, or too much on them like a whole biography of the commentator stuff like that.

This would be my first physical scripture fully reading (unless that's not recommended). I dont have trouble with reading comprehension or vocabulary in English and I've had experience with the way old texts are written and structured. But a version I don't want is the Bhagavad Gita as it is version or any ISCKON influenced version.

What is the best version or the version you would recommend me.

So essentially I'm asking how does one shift in the gunas. If one is in a tamasic state and they know they are how do they get out of they want to be in a different sate like sattvik.

From my understanding

Tamasic: inertia, laziness, irritability, depression, negativity, shame ect... I feel like I'm on this state right now and it feels worse when you know you're in a tamasic state because you actually have shame about it. When I didn't know I was in a tamasic state it was ignorant bliss and they say

Rajasic: ego, irritability, ambition, overstimulation, action, emotional instability, unfocused ect... this is where i usually find myself, its better than tamasic and the best I cant do right now but right now I'm not even rajasic.

Sattvic: calm, focused, stillness, positivity, stability ect... I've only ever been able to taste fractions of a sattvic state, i think. It's the goal but its quite far it seems.

Anyways. How does one change to the guna they want to, i know the basics but not completely. How does one overcome their desires for tamasic inducing things some of which I already know but not completely.

I know that for a lot of things in Sanatana Dharma you need a guru like for certain mantras and all of that. But i never figured out how one becomes the stident of a guru like developing a deep student-teacher relationship. I guess "back then" it was easier but we also dodnt have all the resources we do today and attitude about religion, society, social rules and perceptions and acceptance were much different than they are today.

Well anyways I always wondered about this, especially when it came to topics like tantric traditions.

From what I've heard its not menst to be open and is generally kept as a secret between initiated students the gurus and the divinity. But how does one even find a guru in thai day and age because somehow people are because there are still people practicing tantra. I heard pf the act of making shiva himself your guru and evebtually he may send soemone your way, thats the closest ive gotten to an answer.

Maybe the wording on this question may not be ideal, I dont know.