The second column contains a word-by-word translation and grammatical analysis, parsing each of the words to show their inflection and part of speech.

But that would be a serious mistake, for... this is a multivalent book -- there is something in it that will reward every serious reader.... For those who only want to read the Gītā's story... all they need do is read the verses on the bottom left-hand side of each page.... [for] elaboration, they will find it in the right-hand column... where, for example, dharma is translated as duty, law, righteousness, virtue, and honor.

[3][4] In The New York Times, Whitman described the work as a "soon-to-be-issued interlinear translation of the Bhagavad Gita for the nonspecialist reader" (p. 26[1]).

The Times quoted Sargeant as stating that "I had been interested in the Bhagavad Gita for many years, but I was never very happy with the various translations of that religious epic into English... so I decided to do one myself for my intellectual stimulation and, at first, without any thought of publication" (p. 26[1]).

It also stated that the final version of the translation had been bought by Doubleday in the US and by Allen & Unwin in Britain, and that it was being "composed [for printing] abroad because American printers are lacking in Sanskrit fonts."