Bhagavad Gita
primary holy scripture for Hinduism
By Veda Vyasa
primary holy scripture for Hinduism
By Veda Vyasa
The Bhagavad Gita, known also by the titles Bhagavadgíta and Shrimad Bhagavad Gita [2], is a Hindu scripture composed in Sanskrit [10] and classified as a religious poem [1][4]. Likely written in the second or first century BCE [3], it forms part of the great epic poem Mahabharata, specifically within the Bhisma Parva [7][3]. While traditionally attributed to the sage Veda Vyasa, the work is historiographically regarded as a composite production by multiple authors [12].
The text is structured as a dialogue between the Pandava prince Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, set at the onset of the Kurukshetra War [12]. Its teachings draw on several strands of Indian religious thought, synthesizing the Vedic concept of dharma, Sankhya-based yoga and jñana, and the tradition of bhakti, or devotion [3]. It also incorporates ideas from the Upanishads and samkhya yoga philosophy [12].
Now in the public domain [11], the Gita has generated a wide range of editions and translations, including Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, The Song of God, and God Talks with Arjuna, among many others [9]. It has been treated as a subject in numerous major reference works, including the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary and The Nuttall Encyclopædia [8].
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