Srimad Bhagavad Gita - Song of God
The Bhagavad Gita, or the Song of the Lord, is a dialogue between Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, and his friend and disciple, Arjuna. This dialogue takes place in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita is composed of 701 Shlokas (verses) arranged in 18 chapters. It is one of the best-known philosophical texts of Hinduism, and is said to contain the essence of Upanishadic thought.
The Bhagavad Gita occurs just before the great battle of Mahabharata begins. The army mustered by the five Pandava brothers was to fight the battle against the army of the Pandava’s cousin, Duryodhana, who had robbed them (the Pandavas) of their rightful kingdom and further, refused to participate in any plans for a compromise. After making all possible attempts to peacefully get back their kingdom, or even the right to own a mere five villages in the kingdom, the Pandava brothers decided to fight a war to gain justice.
Arjuna, the third of the five Pandava princes, was perhaps the greatest and most renowned warrior-hero in the Pandava army. Before the battle began, both Duryodhana and Arjuna went to Krishna to seek his aid. Krishna said that he would not personally lift weapons and fight in the battle, but the cousins could choose to have him, unarmed, on their side, or to have the use of his large army. Arjuna chose to have Krishna with him, and Duryodhana was delighted to add the vast, skilled army of Krishna to his forces. Krishna agreed to drive Arjuna’s chariot and thus to be with him throughout the battle.
Just before the fighting commenced, Arjuna asked Krishna to place his chariot between the two armies, so that he could take a good look at his enemy. In the enemy ranks, Arjuna saw his cousins, other relatives and his teachers. At this crucial moment, Arjuna’s attachment to his preceptors and family came to the fore, and doubt entered his mind as to the ‘rightness’ of the battle. In his confusion, he no longer knew the course of action that he should take, and he turned to Krishna for guidance. Krishna talked to him, helping him to examine his own motives and desires, and showing him ways to rise above the limitations of his own personality to do what was best for himself and good for society. This dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, is the Bhagavad Gita.
The eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad Gita are classified as ‘Yogas’, starting with the ‘yoga’ of Arjuna’s depression and ending with the Yoga of ‘liberation through renunciation’.
The 18 Chapters of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Gita Ch 01 – Arjuna Vishada Yoga
Arjuna the great warrior is overpowered by grief and delusion born out of a sense of attachment to his kith and kin. In his delusory state, he makes several fallacious…
Gita Ch 02 – Sankhya Yoga
Arjuna acknowledges in the opening few verses that he is confused about his duty and surrenders to the Lord to instruct him about what is good for him. Thereafter, the Lord…
Gita Ch 03 – Karma Yoga
In this chapter, the Lord teaches the importance of action and explains why and how one must act in the world so that the mind and intellect are purified and relieved of…
Gita Ch 04 – Jnana Yoga
Having emphasized the importance of action in the previous chapter, here the Lord begins a gradual transition to the superiority of pursuing knowledge. Virtues of the man of…
Gita Ch 05 – Sanyasa Yoga
This chapter stands as a bridge between the action-oriented life extolled by the Lord in the previous two chapers and the life of contemplation that follows in the next. The…
Gita Ch 06 – Dhyana Yoga
This chapter provides practical methods of meditation for one who has purified the mind by diligently engaging in karma-yoga described in the previous chapters. For such a…
Gita Ch 07- Jnana Vijnana Yoga
The middle set of 6 chapters beginning with this one are an exposition of the Supreme Reality and how it seemingly manifests as the world we perceive. Here the Lord describes…
Gita Ch 08 – Akshara Brahma Yoga
The previous chapter concluded by introducing certain technical terms and this one begins with an explanation of those. It then details various spiritual practices undertaken…
Gita Ch 09 – Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga
The previous chapter was a brief digression into techniques of saguna-upasana which is not the main theme of the Gita. Here the Lord continues the teaching as it was given in…
Gita Ch 10 – Vibuthi Yoga
Arjuna acknowledges the Supreme nature of the Lord but asks how He can constantly be remembered even as one is perceiving this pluralistic world. In response, the Lord…
Gita Ch 11 – Viswarupa Darshana Yoga
In this chapter, Lord Krishna gifts Arjuna the divine vision which enables him to perceive the Lord in His Cosmic form – a form that even the Gods long to see but are unable…
Gita Ch 12 – Bhakti Yoga
The shortest chapter of the Gita but in some ways one of the most important ones because it clearly explains the meaning of a term that is often misunderstood – Bhakti. The…
Gita Ch 13 – Prarkrti Purusha Viveka Yoga
Whereas the first 6 chapters of the Gita were focused on the individual self (jiva) and the next 6 on the seemingly external Supreme Reality (Ishvara), the final 6 chapters…
Gita Ch 14 – Guna Traya Vibhaga Yoga
If the entire observed universe is nothing but the One Self expressing through the world of matter, how do we explain the endless variety of forms and experiences, each…
Gita Ch 15 – Purushottama Yoga
In this chapter, the Lord describes the nature of the Supreme Spirit in all its implications. This Spirit is effectively a secret for all of us since its comprehension seems…
Gita Ch 16 – Dhaivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
What are the qualities one must cultivate in order to advance spiritually towards liberation and on the other hand, what are the qualities that will drag us down? Explaining…
Gita Ch 17 – Shraddha Traya Vibhaga Yoga
In this chapter, the Lord shows how the concept of “guna” that was detailed in the 14th chapter applies to faith, worship, food, sacrifices/rituals, austerities and charity.…
Gita Ch 18 – Moksha Sanyasa Yoga
The concluding chapter of the Gita is essentially a summary of the entire Song of the Lord. In response to Arjuna’s opening question, the Lord differentiates mere abandonment…
Gita Index of Verses
A comprehensive Bhagavad Gita (Geeta) index that provides a quick glance of all 18 Chapters and 701 verses Shlokas with an abridged English transliteration of each verse…
The 18 Chapters of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita
Gita Ch 01 – Arjuna Vishada Yoga
Arjuna the great warrior is overpowered by grief and delusion born out of a sense of attachment to his kith and kin. In his delusory state, he makes several fallacious…
Gita Ch 02 – Sankhya Yoga
Arjuna acknowledges in the opening few verses that he is confused about his duty and surrenders to the Lord to instruct him about what is good for him. Thereafter, the Lord…
Gita Ch 03 – Karma Yoga
In this chapter, the Lord teaches the importance of action and explains why and how one must act in the world so that the mind and intellect are purified and relieved of…
Gita Ch 04 – Jnana Yoga
Having emphasized the importance of action in the previous chapter, here the Lord begins a gradual transition to the superiority of pursuing knowledge. Virtues of the man of…
Gita Ch 05 – Sanyasa Yoga
This chapter stands as a bridge between the action-oriented life extolled by the Lord in the previous two chapers and the life of contemplation that follows in the next. The…
Gita Ch 06 – Dhyana Yoga
This chapter provides practical methods of meditation for one who has purified the mind by diligently engaging in karma-yoga described in the previous chapters. For such a…
Gita Ch 07- Jnana Vijnana Yoga
The middle set of 6 chapters beginning with this one are an exposition of the Supreme Reality and how it seemingly manifests as the world we perceive. Here the Lord describes…
Gita Ch 08 – Akshara Brahma Yoga
The previous chapter concluded by introducing certain technical terms and this one begins with an explanation of those. It then details various spiritual practices undertaken…
Gita Ch 09 – Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga
The previous chapter was a brief digression into techniques of saguna-upasana which is not the main theme of the Gita. Here the Lord continues the teaching as it was given in…
Gita Ch 10 – Vibuthi Yoga
Arjuna acknowledges the Supreme nature of the Lord but asks how He can constantly be remembered even as one is perceiving this pluralistic world. In response, the Lord…
Gita Ch 11 – Viswarupa Darshana Yoga
In this chapter, Lord Krishna gifts Arjuna the divine vision which enables him to perceive the Lord in His Cosmic form – a form that even the Gods long to see but are unable…
Gita Ch 12 – Bhakti Yoga
The shortest chapter of the Gita but in some ways one of the most important ones because it clearly explains the meaning of a term that is often misunderstood – Bhakti. The…
Gita Ch 13 – Prarkrti Purusha Viveka Yoga
Whereas the first 6 chapters of the Gita were focused on the individual self (jiva) and the next 6 on the seemingly external Supreme Reality (Ishvara), the final 6 chapters…
Gita Ch 14 – Guna Traya Vibhaga Yoga
If the entire observed universe is nothing but the One Self expressing through the world of matter, how do we explain the endless variety of forms and experiences, each…
Gita Ch 15 – Purushottama Yoga
In this chapter, the Lord describes the nature of the Supreme Spirit in all its implications. This Spirit is effectively a secret for all of us since its comprehension seems…
Gita Ch 16 – Dhaivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
What are the qualities one must cultivate in order to advance spiritually towards liberation and on the other hand, what are the qualities that will drag us down? Explaining…
Gita Ch 17 – Shraddha Traya Vibhaga Yoga
In this chapter, the Lord shows how the concept of “guna” that was detailed in the 14th chapter applies to faith, worship, food, sacrifices/rituals, austerities and charity.…
Gita Ch 18 – Moksha Sanyasa Yoga
The concluding chapter of the Gita is essentially a summary of the entire Song of the Lord. In response to Arjuna’s opening question, the Lord differentiates mere abandonment…
Gita Index of Verses
A comprehensive Bhagavad Gita (Geeta) index that provides a quick glance of all 18 Chapters and 701 verses Shlokas with an abridged English transliteration of each verse…