Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita (Hindi: श्रीमद् भगवद् गीता, Śrīmad bhagavad gītā)(pronounced: ), The Song of the Bhagavan, often referred to as simply the Gita, is a 700-verse scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. This scripture contains a conversation between Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide Lord Krishna on a variety of theological and philosophical issues.

Faced with a fratricidal war, a despondent Arjuna turns to his charioteer Krishna for counsel on the battlefield. Krishna, through the course of the Gita, imparts to Arjuna wisdom, the path to devotion, and the doctrine of selfless action. The Gita upholds the essence and the theological tradition of the Upanishads. However, unlike the rigorous monism of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita also integrates dualism and theism.

Numerous commentaries have been written on the Bhagavad Gita with widely differing views on the essentials, beginning with Adi Sankara's commentary on the Gita in the eighth century CE. Commentators see the setting of the Gita in a battlefield as an allegory for the ethical and moral struggles of the human life. The Bhagavad Gita's call for selfless action inspired many leaders of the Indian independence movement including Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who referred to the Gita as his "spiritual dictionary".

Part of a series on
Hindu scriptures
Vedas Rigveda · Samaveda
Yajurveda · Atharvaveda Divisions
Samhita · Brahmana
Aranyaka · Upanishads
Vedangas Shiksha · Chandas
Vyakarana · Nirukta
Kalpa · Jyotisha
Upanishads Rig vedic
Aitareya Yajur vedic
Brihadaranyaka · Isha
Taittiriya · Katha
Shvetashvatara Sama vedic
Chandogya · Kena Atharva vedic
Mundaka · Mandukya
Prashna
Puranas Brahma puranas
Brahma · Brahmānda
Brahmavaivarta
Markandeya · Bhavishya Vaishnava puranas
Vishnu · Bhagavata
Naradeya · Garuda · Padma · Agni Shaiva puranas
Shiva · Linga
Skanda · Vayu
Hindu Astrology Phaladeepika · Sarvartha_Chintamani
Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra · Bhavartha Ratnakara · Prasna_Tantra
Skanda_Hora · Jatakalankara · Chamatkara_Chintamani
Garga_Hora · Prasna_Marga
Jaimini Sutras · Yavanajataka
Brihat_Jataka · Bṛhat Saṃhitā
Sārāvalī · Dasadhyayi · Mansagari
· Jataka_Parijata · Jataka_Bharanam · Jataka_Tattva
Laghu_Parashari · Hora_Sara · Hora_Ratna · Sanketa_Nidhi
Tajika_Neelakanthi
Itihasa Ramayana
Mahabharata (Bhagavad Gita)
Other scriptures Manu Smriti
Artha Shastra · Agama
Tantra · Sūtra · Stotra
Dharmashastra
Divya Prabandha
Tevaram
Ramcharitmanas
Yoga Vasistha
swara yoga · Shiva Samhita
Samarsār · Narpatijacharya
seven Yamalās Goraksha Samhita
Panchadasi · Vedantasara
Scripture classification Śruti · Smriti
Timeline Hindu texts

Read more about Bhagavad Gita:  Composition and Significance, Influence, Adaptations