Bhagavad Gita - Composition and Significance

Composition and Significance

The epic Mahabharata is traditionally ascribed to the Sage Ved Vyasa; the Bhagavad Gita, being a part of the Mahabharata, is also ascribed to him. Theories on the date of composition of the Gita vary considerably. According to Hindu traditions, Bhagavad Gita was delivered to the human race by Lord Krishna, an avatar of God Almighty, around 5,000 years ago. Scholars accept dates from fifth century to second century BCE as the probable range. Professor Jeaneane Fowler, in her commentary on the Gita, considers second century BCE to be the likely date of composition. Kashi Nath Upadhyaya, a Gita scholar, on the basis of the estimated dates of Mahabharata, Brahma sutras, and other independent sources, concludes that the Bhagavad Gita was composed between fifth and fourth centuries BCE. The actual dates of composition of the Gita remain unresolved.

Bhagavad Gita comprises 18 chapters (section 25 to 42) in the Bhishma Parva of the epic Mahabharata and consists of 700 verses. Because of differences in recensions, the verses of the Gita may be numbered in the full text of the Mahabharata as chapters 6.25–42 or as chapters 6.23–40. According to the recension of the Gita commented on by Adi Shankara, a prominent philosopher of the Vedanta school, the number of verses is 700, but there is evidence to show that old manuscripts had 745 verses. The verses themselves, using the range and style of Sanskrit Anustup meter (chhandas) with similes and metaphors, are written in a poetic form that is traditionally chanted.

Due to its presence in the Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita is classified as a Smṛiti text or "that which is remembered". Śruti texts, such as the Upanishads, are believed to be revelations of divine origin, whereas Smṛitis are authored recollections of tradition and are therefore fallible. As a Smṛiti, the scriptural authority of the Gita is dependent on the Upanishads (Śruti). However, those branches of Hinduism that give it the status of an Upanishad also consider it to be a Śruti or "revealed text". Even though the Bhagavad Gita is in many respects different from the Upanishads in format and content, it is still taken to represent a summary of the Upanishadic teachings and is thus called "the Upanishad of the Upanishads". Advaita Vedanta (monistic conclusion of the Vedas) school of philosophy uses the Bhagavad Gita in conjunction with the Upanishads and Brahma sutras to arrive at its message of non-duality.