Bhagavad Gītā
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The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit: भगवद् गीता - Bhagavad Gītā) comprises eighteen chapters totaling 701 verses which appeared in the epic Mahabharata (Bhishma Parva chapters 23 – 40). The verses using the range and style of Sanskrit meter (poetry) (chhanda) with similes and metaphors are very poetic, and hence the title, which translates to "the Song of the Divine One" or Bhagawan in the form of Krishna.
Commonly referred to as The Gita, it is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna which takes place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, just prior to the start of climactic war. Responding to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma, Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties and then elaborates on the Yogic teachings, with examples and analogies. During the discourse, Krishna reveals that he is the Supreme Being Himself (Narayan), and blesses Arjuna with an awe-inspiring glimpse of His divine Absolute form.
The Bhagavad Gita is also called Gītopanişad, implying it to be an 'Upanishad'. While technically, it is considered as view] • [ talk] • [ edit]
In many ways seemingly a heterogeneous text, the Gita is a reconciliation of many facets and schools of Hindu philosophy of both Brahmanical (i.e., orthodox Vedic) origin, and the parallel ascetic and Yogic traditions. It comprises primarily Vedic (as in the four Vedas, as opposed to the Upanishads/Vedanta), Upanishadic, Sankhya and Yogic philosophies. It has stood the test of time, bringing together all four thought systems by taking their largely cohesive, common ideologies and backgrounds into the powerful Sanskrit verse of one text.
It had always been a creative text for Hindu priests and Yogis. Although not strictly part of the 'canon' of Vedic writings, almost all Hindu sects draw upon the Gita as authoritative. Some claim that it may have been inserted into the Mahabharata at a later date, but this is only natural as it sounds more like an Upanishad (which are commentaries that followed the Vedas) in thought than a Purana (histories), of which tradition the Mahabharata is a part.
For its religious depth, quintessential Upanishadic and Yogic philosophy and beauty of verse, the Bhagavad Gita is one of the most compelling and important texts of the Hindu tradition. It is one of the world's greatest religious and spiritual scriptures.
For the Vedantic schools of Hindu philosophy, it is one of the three foundation texts (Sanskrit: Prasthana Trayi, literally three points of departure)( the other two being the Upanishads and Brahma Sutras). Every such school is required to have a commentary on the three. The oldest available commentary is from Adi Shankara but he mentions older commentators. He is followed by classical commentators like Anandagiri, Shridhara Swami, Madhusūdana Sarasvatī, Ramanuja, Madhvacharya, Nimbarka, Vallabha and Dnyaneshwar. While the traditional text commented upon by many scholars including Adi Shankara and Ramanuja, consists of 700 verses, there exists a recension of the text from Kashmir with additional 15 verses. The renowned philosopher Abhinavagupta(10-11th century CE) has written a commentary on this recension called Gitartha-Samgraha. Other ancient and medieval scholars (like Vedanta Desika in the Tatparya-Chandrika) seem to be aware of such additional verses but prefer to comment on the popular 700 verses.
Among the great sages and philosophers who have drawn inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who initiated public singing of the "Hare Krishna" mantra.
Upon witnessing the world's first atomic blast in 1945, J. Robert Oppenheimer, american physicist and director of the Manhattan Project, is reported to have misquoted "I am become Death, the shatterer of worlds".
The dynamic Swami Vivekananda, the follower of Sri Ramakrishna was known for his seminal commentaries on the four Yogas - Bhakti, Jnana, Karma and Raja Yoga. He drew from his knowledge of the Gita to expound on these Yogas. Swami Sivananda advises the aspiring Yogi to read verses from the Bhagavad Gita every day. Paramahamsa Yogananda, writer of the famous "Autobiography of a Yogi", viewed the Bhagavad Gita as one of the world's most divine scriptures.
Mahatma Gandhi derived great moral strength from Bhagavad gita, which is evident in his words:
- "The Geeta is the universal mother. I find a solace in the Bhagavadgeeta that I miss even in the Sermon on the Mount. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there, and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies - and my life has been full of external tragedies - and if they have left no visible or indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teaching of Bhagavad geeta."
See also
References
External links: the text and translations
The Bhagavad Gita is quickly becoming one of the most popular religious texts in translation, with numerous readings and adaptations of its 700 verses being published in many languages, especially with its exposure to the world outside India.
Traditionally the commentators belong to spiritual traditions or schools (sampradaya) and Guru lineages (parampara), which preserve the teaching in pure form. Thus traditions stemming from Krishna himself are considered the most faithful to the original message.
It should be kept in mind that different translators and commentators have widely differing views on what multi-layered Sanskrit words and passages truly signify, and their best possible presentation in English depending on the sampradaya they are affiliated to. Especially in modern times in the West, different authors have come up with a wealth of diverse interpretations that often do not agree with the traditional views, the reason being the background and intrinsic values of the interpreters and commentators, which may still be well rooted in Western culture.
Though overall the Gita features Sanskrit that is fairly easily comprehensible, translations of the original Sanskrit text may at times be inaccurate on account of the lack of appropriate corresponding terminology.
Commentaries
Audio
Selections
Eknath Easwaran's poetic translation
Miscellaneous
Gujarati
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