Bhagavad Gita
easternsanskrit~400 BCE - 200 CE
Translation: Swami Sivananda (public domain) (odbl)
Overview
The Bhagavad Gita ('Song of the Lord') is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that forms part of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Set on a battlefield, it presents a dialogue between the warrior prince Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, who is revealed as the Supreme God. The text synthesizes multiple strands of Hindu philosophy, offering teachings on duty (dharma), devotion (bhakti), knowledge (jnana), and disciplined action (karma yoga), making it the most widely read and influential text in the Hindu tradition.
Bible connections
- Ecclesiastes (action and vanity, detachment from outcomes)
- Romans 7 (inner moral conflict)
- Job 38-41 (theophany, divine response to suffering)
- John 15:4 (divine indwelling, 'abide in me')
- Ephesians 2:8-9 (grace and surrender)
- Matthew 17:1-8 (Transfiguration/theophany)
- Matthew 6:25-34 (non-anxiety, trust in God)
Key terms
dharma– duty, righteousness, cosmic moral order
karma– action and its consequences across lifetimes
bhakti– loving devotion to a personal God
atman– the eternal, indestructible self or soul
moksha– liberation from the cycle of birth and death
yoga– discipline, path, or method of spiritual realization
guna– the three fundamental qualities of nature: sattva, rajas, tamas
Did you know?
Mahatma Gandhi called the Bhagavad Gita his 'spiritual dictionary' and read from it every day. J. Robert Oppenheimer quoted it after witnessing the first nuclear explosion.