What is "bhagavad gita"

n. An epic poem from Mahabharata where Krishna gives Arjuna a discourse on ethics.

The Bhagavad Gita (, in IAST, ; lit. "Song of the Lord"), often referred to as simply the Gita, is a 700- verse Hindu scripture in Sanskrit that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata (chapters 25 - 42 of the 6th book of Mahabharata).

Hindu traditionalists assert that the Gita came into existence in the third or fourth millennium BCE. Scholars accept dates from the fifth century to the second century BCE as the probable range.

The Gita is set in a narrative framework of a dialogue between Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide and charioteer Lord Krishna. Facing the duty as a warrior to fight the Dharma Yudhha or righteous war between Pandavas and Kauravas, Arjuna is counselled by Lord Krishna to "fulfill his Kshatriya (warrior) duty as a warrior and establish Dharma." Inserted in this appeal to kshatriya dharma ( chivalry) is "a dialogue ... between diverging attitudes concerning methods toward the attainment of liberation ( moksha)". The Bhagavad Gita was exposed to the world through Sanjaya, who senses and cognizes all the events of the battlefield. Sanjaya is Dhritarashtra's advisor and also his charioteer.

The Bhagavad Gita presents a synthesis of the concept of Dharma, theistic bhakti, the yogic ideals of moksha through jnana, bhakti, karma, and Raja Yoga (spoken of in the 6th chapter) and Samkhya philosophy.

Numerous commentaries have been written on the Bhagavad Gita with widely differing views on the essentials. Vedanta commentators read varying relations between Self and Brahman in the text: Advaita Vedanta sees the non-dualism of Atman (soul) and Brahman as its essence, whereas Bhedabheda and Vishishtadvaita see Atman and Brahman as both different and non-different, and Dvaita sees them as different. The setting of the Gita in a battlefield has been interpreted as an allegory for the ethical and moral struggles of the human life.

The Bhagavad Gitas call for selfless action inspired many leaders of the Indian independence movement including Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi referred to the Gita as his "spiritual dictionary".

The Bhagavad Gita is the title of Winthrop Sargeant's translation, first published in 1979, of the Bhagavad Gītā (Sanskrit: , "Song of God"), an important Hindu scripture. Among Western English translations of the Gita, Sargeant's is unusual in providing a word-by-word translation and grammatical explanation, along with Sanskrit and English renderings. The original edition was published in 1979 with the lengthy subtitle An interlinear translation from the Sanskrit, with word-for-word transliteration and translation, and complete grammatical commentary, as well as a readable prose translation and page-by-page vocabularies. The subtitle was omitted from the 2nd edition (1984) and the 3rd edition (2009), which were edited by Christopher Chapple. Huston Smith wrote a foreword to the 3rd edition. Sargeant's translation has been described in The New York Times, and reviewed in professional journals.

Bhagavad Gita or Bhagvad Gita: Song of the Lord is a 1993 Sanskrit film produced by T. Subbarami Reddy, and directed by G. V. Iyer. The film is based on Hindu religious book Bhagavad Gita, which is part of the epic Mahabharata. The film was premiered at the Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce in Hyderabad, India, and International Film Festival of India. The film has garnered the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in 1993.

Bhagavad Gita may refer to:

• Bhagavad Gita (Sargeant), Winthrop Sargeant's translation, first published in 1979
• Bhagavad-Gītā as It Is, a translation and commentary of the Bhagavad Gita by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
• Bhagavad Gita (film), a 1993 film directed by G. V. Iyer
• Bhagavad Gita trial in Russia
• Influence of Bhagavad Gita
• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi On The Bhagavad-Gita: a new translation and commentary with Sanskrit text