BHAGAVAD-GĪTĀ Skt., lit. “song of the exalted one”; a philosophical didactic poem, considered the “Gospel” of Hinduism. It constitutes the sixth book of the Indian national epic poem, the Mahābhārata, which was composed between the fifth century B.C.E. and the second century C.E. In eighteen chapters (700 verses) the great warrior Arjuna receives a fundamental teaching in the face of the impending battle. Western readers may be puzzled by the fact that the teaching is set against the backdrop of a battlefield; yet aside from the fact that Arjuna’s karma has sent him into battle, the battlefield serves as a symbol of the bitter conflicts that are waged between the good and evil forces within each human being, between the ego and one’s higher nature.
In the dialogue, which is held on the renowned battlefield of Kurukshetra, Krishna instructs his friend and disciple, Arjuna, regarding union with the highest reality. He shows him in turn the paths of knowledge (Jñāna-Yoga), devotion (BhaktiYoga), selfless action (Karma-Yoga), and meditation (Rāja-Yoga), the classic paths of yoga. The work presents a combination of teachings from the philosophic systems of Sānkhya, Yoga, and Vedānta.
The Bhagavad-Gītā has influenced the religious life of India as no other work has done. Acknowledging it to be a sacred text, the most prominent philosophers of various Vedantic schools have interpreted the work.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Documents on the Bhagavad-Gītā
Books on the Bhagavad-Gītā
External links: Mahabharatha / Bhagavad Gita