How Well Do You Know the Bhagavad Gita?

The Bhagavad Gita: A Major Hindu Scripture

• The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse Hindu scripture, part of the epic Mahabharata, and considered one of the holy scriptures of Hinduism.

• It is set in a narrative framework of dialogue between Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide and charioteer Krishna.

• The Gita covers a broad range of spiritual topics, including ethical dilemmas and philosophical issues that go far beyond the war that Arjuna faces.

• The text presents a synthesis of Hindu ideas about dharma, theistic bhakti, and the yogic ideal of moksha.

• The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most revered Hindu texts, and has a unique pan-Hindu influence.

• The title of the Bhagavad Gita means "song," and its Sanskrit name is often written as Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, which denotes a high degree of respect.

• Theories on the date of the composition of the Gita vary considerably, with some scholars accepting dates from the 5th century BCE to the 2nd century BCE as the probable range.

• The authorship of the Bhagavad Gita is attributed to the sage Vyasa, though scholars consider Vyasa to be a mythical or symbolic author.

• The Bhagavad Gita is part of the Prasthanatrayi, which also includes the Upanishads and Brahma sutras. These are the three starting points for the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy.

• The Bhagavad Gita is a "summation of the Vedanta," and one of the key texts for the Vedanta school, providing a theoretical foundation for Hinduism.

• The Bhagavad Gita synthesizes and inclusively accepts multiple ways of life, harmonizing spiritual pursuits through action (karma), knowledge (gyaana), and devotion (bhakti).

• The text recommends that one must resist the "either-or" view of enlightenment-based renunciation, dharma-based householder life, and devotion-based theism, and consider a "both-and" view.Overview of the Bhagavad Gita

• The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture that synthesizes several paths to spiritual realization, including knowledge, devotion, action, and meditation.

• The text emphasizes the importance of performing one's duty without attachment to the results or personal gain.

• The Gita rejects extreme austerity and self-torture as a means of spiritual development and instead advocates for inner renunciation.

• The text is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna before the Kurukshetra War, addressing philosophical concepts and ethical dilemmas.

• The Gita has 18 chapters, with 700 verses structured into several ancient Indian poetic meters.

• The original manuscript of the Gita is found in the sixth book of the Mahabharata, with chapters 23-40.

• The Gita manuscripts exist in numerous Indic scripts, including early scripts such as the now dormant Sharada script.

• The number of verses in each chapter varies in some manuscripts of the Gita, but 700 verses is the generally accepted standard.

• The first chapter sets the stage for the Kurukshetra War and Arjuna's moral dilemma.

• The second chapter begins the philosophical discussions and teachings found in the Gita, summarizing the Hindu idea of rebirth and various types of yoga.

• The third chapter emphasizes the importance of performing one's duty without attachment to the results or personal gain.

• The fourth chapter reveals Krishna's divine nature and discusses motiveless action and the need to determine the right action.Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapters

• The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture consisting of 18 chapters.

• Chapter 6 is titled Dhyanayoga and discusses the principles of Yoga and meditation.

• Chapter 7 is titled Gyana Vigyanayoga and discusses the importance of Self-knowledge and union with Purusha (Krishna).

• Chapter 8 is titled Akshara Brahmayoga and discusses the imperishable Brahman, cosmology, and the nature of death and rebirth.

• Chapter 9 is titled Raja Vidya Raja Guhyayoga and recommends devotional worship of Krishna.

• Chapter 10 is titled Vibhutiyoga and discusses the divine manifestations of Krishna.

• Chapter 11 is titled Vishvarupa Darshanayoga and describes Arjuna's vision of Krishna's universal form.

• Chapter 12 is titled Bhaktiyoga and glorifies the path of love and devotion to God.

• Chapter 13 is titled Kshetra Kshetragya Vibhagayoga and explains the difference between the transient physical body and the eternal Self.

• Chapter 14 is titled Gunatraya Vibhagayoga and maps human experiences to three tendencies or qualities (gunas).

• Chapter 15 is titled Purushottamayoga and discusses the nature of God according to Vaishnava Bhakti tradition.

• Chapter 16 is titled Daivasura Sampad Vibhagayoga and describes divine and demonic human traits.

• Chapter 18 is titled Moksha Sanyasayoga and offers a final summary of the teachings in the previous chapters, emphasizing the karma-phala-tyaga teaching.Themes and Interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita

• The Bhagavad Gita is a Hindu scripture that teaches several spiritual paths to the divine, including jnana, bhakti, and karma.

• The Gita emphasizes the concept of "inner renunciation", which requires detachment from personal rewards during one's spiritual journey.

• The path of Karma yoga is taught in the Gita, which upholds the necessity of action, but emphasizes that action should be undertaken after proper knowledge has been applied to gain a full perspective.

• The Gita also teaches the path of Bhakti yoga, characterized as the "loving devotion, longing, surrender, trust, and adoration" of the divine Krishna.

• Jnana yoga, the path of knowledge, wisdom, and direct realization of the Brahman, is also praised in the Gita, but is considered to be a steep and difficult path.

• The Gita rejects ascetic life, renunciation, and Brahminical Vedic ritualism, and instead recommends the pursuit of an active life where the individual adopts "inner renunciation" and acts to fulfill his dharma without craving for personal rewards.

• The concept of dharma is a prominent paradigm in the Gita, referring to what is right or just, the essence of duty, law, class, social norms, ritual, and cosmos itself.

• The Gita takes place in the centre of a battlefield, and several modern Indian writers have interpreted the battlefield setting as an allegory for "the war within".

• The allegorical interpretation of the Gita is shared by several scholars, including Swami Nikhilananda, who takes Arjuna as an allegory of Ātman and Krishna as an allegory of Brahman.

• The Gita has been criticized for promoting war, but scholars such as Steven Rosen, Laurie L. Patton, and Stephen Mitchell have seen it as a religious defense of the warrior class' (Kshatriya Varna) duty (svadharma) to wage war with courage.

• Indian independence leaders such as Lala Lajpat Rai and Bal Gangadhar Tilak saw the Gita as a text that defended war when necessary and used it to promote armed rebellion against colonial rule.

• The Gita has also been interpreted as promoting pacifism, as seen in Christopher Isherwood's essay in the Appendix of his translation of the Gita, where he argues that in certain circumstances, it would be quite alright to refuse to fight.