# Bhagavad Gita *Traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa. Sanskrit scripture within the Mahabharata: a dialogue between the prince Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna.* > I read the Wikipedia article on the Gita (including its chapter sections), the Project Gutenberg catalog page for Arnold's translation, the Wikisource translations index, and the vault note for the video. I did not read the Sanskrit text or a translation. Section 5 relies on Wikipedia's summaries. ## 1. Book facts | | | |---|---| | Title | *Bhagavad Gita* ("Song of God"; also *Gita*, *Srimad Bhagavad Gita*) | | Attributed author | Vyasa (traditional; scholars treat him as legendary) | | Form | 700 verses in 18 chapters; a dialogue before the Kurukshetra war | | Place | Chapters 23-40 or 25-42 of the Bhishma Parva (book 6) of the Mahabharata, depending on recension | | Language | Sanskrit (Epic-Puranic) | | Date | Unresolved; see section 5 | **Where it came up.** - Video: [The Most Dangerous Book Ever Written About Reality](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhSznFNrU7o), *Advaita Awakenings with Gaurav*. - Mention: [1:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhSznFNrU7o&t=92s), as a contrast: the video says the Ashtavakra Gita, unlike the Bhagavad Gita (Krishna and Arjuna on duty and karma), "cuts straight to the core". - Vault note: [[Video Summaries/Advaita Awakenings with Gaurav/The Most Dangerous Book Ever Written About Reality]]. ## 2. Book resources **Reference pages** - [Wikipedia: Bhagavad Gita](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita) - [Wikisource: translations of the Bhagavad Gita](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita) **Where to get it (legal free copies; all public domain by age)** - [Project Gutenberg #2388: *The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ*](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2388), Sir Edwin Arnold's poetic translation (1885). Gutenberg's page says Gandhi called it the best English version he met (that is Gutenberg's automatically generated summary, not independently checked). - [Wikisource index](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita) lists: Edwin Arnold (1885); Annie Besant (1895; 4th edition 1922 with Devanagari text); Kashinath Trimbak Telang (1882, *Sacred Books of the East* vol. 8, in transcription). - Charles Wilkins made the first English translation (1785, per Wikipedia); I did not find a free scan. **Major translations and commentaries** (named by Wikipedia; copyright status not checked): Prabhupada's *Bhagavad-Gita as It Is*; Eknath Easwaran (commentary); Gandhi's Gujarati commentary (English by Mahadev Desai, 1946); Tilak, Aurobindo, Radhakrishnan, Chinmayananda; classical commentaries by Adi Shankara (8th c.) and Dnyaneshwar (*Dnyaneshwari*, c. 1290 CE). **Audiobook:** free [LibriVox recording](https://librivox.org/bhagavad-gita-by-sir-edwin-arnold/) (English, 2:54:53, catalogued under Sir Edwin Arnold's name, so presumably his translation; the page's online-text link was not followed). Found through LibriVox's API by title search (page opened). ## 3. Author biography **Vyasa** is the traditional compiler of the Mahabharata, Vedas and Puranas. Wikipedia notes scholars regard him as "a mythical or symbolic author", since "Vyasa" is also a title for a compiler and the works attributed to him span about two millennia. A Hindu legend says Ganesha wrote down the Mahabharata (and Gita) using his broken tusk. Alexus McLeod calls it "impossible to link the Bhagavad Gita to a single author"; Arthur Basham sees at least three authors or compilers. J. A. B. van Buitenen argues the Gita is integral to the epic and not an independent text that wandered in. ## 4. Author interviews and talks None (traditional attribution). Modern teachers on the text (unread/unwatched): Eknath Easwaran, Chinmayananda and Gandhi (who wrote a Gujarati commentary in 1929), as named by Wikipedia. ## 5. Summary **Thesis.** Arjuna freezes before the war; Krishna argues that he should act according to his dharma without attachment to results, attributing action to God (bhakti), with knowledge (jnana) and meditation as supporting paths. Wikipedia describes it as a synthesis of Vedic dharma, Samkhya-based yoga and knowledge, and devotion, rejecting the "non-action" ideal of the Shramanic ascetics in favour of "renunciation of the fruits of action". **Dating and text.** Generally the 2nd or 1st century BCE; others 400-500 BCE to the 1st century CE; Winthrop Sargeant: oral text in the later 1st millennium BCE, first written version in the 2nd or 3rd century CE. 700 verses is the standard since Shankara's commentary, though Gambhirananda says older manuscripts may have had 745. The original has no chapter titles; the "yoga" titles are editors'. **Chapter outline** (Wikipedia's "Chapters" section; verse counts as given there, which sum to 699, not the 700 stated): 1. **Arjuna Vishada Yoga (46).** Armies at Kurukshetra. Arjuna sees kin and teachers opposed to him and despairs. 2. **Samkhya Yoga (72).** The soul (atman) is eternal, the body passing; act without grief or attachment. Overview of the rest. Gandhi memorised the last 19 verses. 3. **Karma Yoga (43).** No one can avoid action; selfless action does not bind. 4. **Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga (42).** Krishna has taught this yoga before; he returns whenever dharma declines. 5. **Karma Sanyasa Yoga (29).** Renunciation versus householder life; Krishna says both lead to the goal. 6. **Atma Samyama Yoga (47).** Meditation and the self-realised person who is impartial to friend and enemy. 7. **Jnana Vijnana Yoga (30).** Knowledge and realisation using Samkhya and Vedanta frameworks. 8. **Akshara Brahma Yoga (28).** Arjuna asks what Brahman and karma are; Krishna's highest nature is the imperishable Brahman. 9. **Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga (34).** The "royal knowledge": Krishna is in everything yet unlimited by it. 10. **Vibhuti Yoga (42).** Krishna's manifestations as the cause of all existence. 11. **Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga (55).** Arjuna is given a "heavenly eye" and sees the universal form, devouring creatures; Krishna says he is the Lord of time and Arjuna his instrument. Oppenheimer recited part of a verse from it in a 1965 documentary (per Wikipedia). 12. **Bhakti Yoga (20).** The path of loving devotion. 13. **Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga (34).** Body (the field) and the Knower of the field. 14. **Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga (27).** The three gunas: sattva, rajas, tamas. 15. **Purushottama Yoga (20).** Krishna transcends both the perishable body and the atman in each being. 16. **Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (24).** Divine and demonic natures. 17. **Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga (28).** Faith, food and deeds by the three gunas. 18. **Moksha Sanyasa Yoga (78).** Final summary; renunciation of the fruits of action; surrender to Krishna. **Key ideas:** dharma as duty; non-attachment to results ("karma-phala-tyaga"); the immortal Self; three paths (action, knowledge, devotion); the battlefield as allegory (Gandhi and others read it as the inner war). Criticisms Wikipedia records: Ambedkar's charge that it defends caste (varna) and Kshatriya war duty; debates on whether it supports or violates ahimsa. ## 6. Fact-check Overall verdict: **supported**. The video mentions the Bhagavad Gita only to contrast it with the Ashtavakra Gita, and the contrast matches reference sources. | Claim | Verdict | Evidence | |---|---|---| | The Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna | Supported | [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita) | | It concerns duty and karma | Supported | Wikipedia: living by one's duty/dharma; renunciation of the fruits of action | | It sits inside the Mahabharata | Supported | Bhishma Parva, Wikipedia | | Composition date | Uncertain | Estimates range from c. 400 BCE to 1st century CE; Wikipedia: "actual dates ... remain unresolved" | | Author is Vyasa | Traditional only | Scholars regard Vyasa as mythical/symbolic; probably several authors | | Verse count of 700 | Supported (standard) | Since Shankara; chapter counts on Wikipedia sum to 699, a discrepancy I could not resolve | | Gandhi memorised the last 19 verses of ch. 2 | Supported by Wikipedia (single source) | Wikipedia chapter 2 | ## 7. Citations and references - [Wikipedia: Bhagavad Gita](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita) - [Project Gutenberg #2388](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2388), Edwin Arnold, *The Song Celestial* (1885) - [Wikisource: translations of the Bhagavad Gita](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita) - Video: [The Most Dangerous Book Ever Written About Reality](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhSznFNrU7o), *Advaita Awakenings with Gaurav*