Sacred Facts ยท At a Glance
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Literature
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The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to simply as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata. It consists of a dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Krishna, who serves as his charioteer.
Set on the battlefield of Kurukshetra just before the start of a great war, the Gita addresses the moral and philosophical dilemmas faced by Arjuna, who is reluctant to fight against his own kinsmen. Krishna's teachings encompass duty, righteousness, devotion, and the nature of reality.
The text is structured in 18 chapters and presents several key concepts:
The Gita teaches that the soul (atman) is eternal and indestructible, while the body is temporary. True wisdom lies in recognizing the imperishable nature of the self and performing one's duty (dharma) without attachment.
Scholarly consensus dates the Gita to approximately 400 BCE โ 200 CE, though traditional Hindu belief attributes it to the time of the Mahabharata war (traditionally c. 3100 BCE). The text synthesizes ideas from the Upanishads, Samkhya, and Yoga philosophies.
The Bhagavad Gita has been translated into numerous languages and has influenced thinkers worldwide. Mahatma Gandhi referred to it as his "spiritual dictionary" and drew upon its teachings in his nonviolent resistance movement.
