The Bhagavad Gita

by Anonymous · भगवद्गीता

Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only

Written
c. 2nd century BCE
Language
Sanskrit
Length
Short · 100 ppunder 120 pages
Difficulty
Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader

We recommendThe Bhagavad Gita, translated by Laurie L. PattonPenguin Classics, 2008Line-by-line verse that stays close to the Sanskrit, with a clear introduction for first readers.

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A 700-verse episode of the Mahabharata set on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where the warrior Arjuna, seeing kinsmen and teachers in the opposing army, drops his bow and refuses to fight. His charioteer Krishna, revealed in the course of the poem as the supreme god, answers him over eighteen chapters, teaching action without attachment to its results, the immortality of the self, the paths of knowledge, discipline and devotion, and the duty proper to each person. Arjuna is granted a vision of Krishna's universal form and takes up his bow.

No reading guide yet

The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Bhagavad Gita are verified against each program's published list.

What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.

Browse the 48 works that do have a guide →

भगवद्गीता, Bhagavadgita, Gita, The Song of the Lord, The Song Celestial, Arjuna, Krishna, Kurukshetra, Mahabharata, dharma, karma, yoga, bhakti, atman, Anon., Traditional, Unknown author