BHAGAVADGITA

(Sanskrit: Song of God), one of the greatest and most beautiful of the Hindu scriptures. It forms part of Book VI of the Indian epic the Mahabharata (Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty) and is written in the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince Arjuna and his friend and charioteer, Krishna, who is also an earthly incarnation of the god Vishnu. The Bhagavadgita is of a later date than the major parts of the Mahabharata and was probably written in the 1st or 2nd century AD. The poem consists of 700 Sanskrit verses divided into 18 chapters. The dialogue takes place on the field of battle, just as the great war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas is about to begin. The two armies stand opposing each other, and, on seeing many of his friends and kinsmen among those lined up on the other side, Prince Arjuna hesitates. He considers whether it would not be better to throw down his arms and allow himself to be slain by the enemy rather than to engage in a just, but cruel, war. He is recalled to his sense of duty as a warrior by Krishna, who points out to him that the higher way is the dispassionate discharge of his duty, performed with faith in God, and without selfish concern for personal triumph or gain. The Bhagavadgita goes far beyond the ethical question with which it begins, to consider broadly the nature of God and the means by which man can know him. The greatness of the scripture lies in its description of both the end and the means. It gives a synopsis of the religious thought and experience of India through the ages. Because it is a predominantly theistic work, it often describes the ultimate reality as a personal god, identified with Krishna. However, it also quite frequently refers to the supreme as the immanent spirit, as the transcendent absolute, and, finally, as the state of one's own awakened soul. The three paths of the Hindu religious tradition leading to mystic union with God are all described as different aspects of a single way of approach. The popularity of the Bhagavadgita is evident from the many commentaries, glossaries, and expository books written on it in both ancient and modern times. The earliest commentary that has come down is that of the great philosopher Sankara. Other important commentaries of ancient times are those of Bhaskara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Nilakantha, Sri dhara, and Madhusudana; and outstanding modern commentaries are those of B.G. Tilak, Sri Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi, and Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The Bhagavadgita has been translated into many languages.