Bhagavad-Gita

Home > ... > Philosophy and Religion > Eastern Religions > Hinduism > ...

Bhagavad-Gita

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Bhagavad-Gita [Skt.,=song of the Lord], Sanskrit poem incorporated into the Mahabharata , one of the greatest religious classics of Hinduism. The Gita (as it is often called) consists of a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna on the eve of the great battle of Kurukshetra. Arjuna is overcome with anguish when he sees in the opposing army many of his kinsmen, teachers, and friends. Krishna persuades him to fight by instructing him in spiritual wisdom and the means of attaining union with God (see yoga ). The main doctrines of the Gita are karma-yoga, the yoga of selfless action performed with inner detachment from its results; jnana-yoga, the yoga of knowledge and discrimination between the lower nature of man and his soul, which is identical with the supreme self; and bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion to a particular god—in this case, Krishna, who reveals himself to Arjuna as the avatara (incarnation) of Vishnu, Lord of the Universe. The Bhagavad-Gita is essentially Upanishadic in content, but it differs significantly from the brahman-atman doctrine of the Upanishads in teaching that the highest God is personal and that love and surrender to God's grace is a better and easier spiritual path than that of pure knowledge. The Gita has been the subject of many commentaries and has been much translated. Its translators include Annie Besant, Sir Edwin Arnold, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and Mohandas Gandhi.

Bibliography: See F. Edgerton, The Bhagavad Gita (1944); E. Deutsch, ed., Bhagavad Gita (1968); B. S. Miller, The Bhagavad Gita (1986).

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1E1-Bhagavad" title="Facts and information about Bhagavad-Gita">Bhagavad-Gita</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Bhagavad-Gita." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Bhagavad-Gita." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (November 12, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Bhagavad.html

"Bhagavad-Gita." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Bhagavad.html

Learn more about citation styles

Bhagavad Gita

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | © World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Bhagavad Gita (Hindi, ‘Song of the Lord’) Sanskrit poem, forming part of the sixth book of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. Probably written in the 1st or 2nd century ad, it is perhaps the greatest philosophical expression of Hinduism. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna (as an incarnation of Vishnu) instructs Prince Arjuna on the importance of absolute devotion (bhakti) to a personal god as a means of salvation.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O142-BhagavadGita" title="Facts and information about Bhagavad-Gita">Bhagavad-Gita</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"Bhagavad Gita." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Bhagavad Gita." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (November 12, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-BhagavadGita.html

"Bhagavad Gita." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-BhagavadGita.html

Learn more about citation styles

Bhagavad-gītā

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Bhagavad-gītā (Skt., ‘the song of the Bhagavā’). A fundamental text for Hindus—for many, the most sublime. It forms part of book vi of the Mahābhārata, and in eighteen sections of 700 verses, it explores the situation which has brought the warrior Arjuna to a crisis of conscience: he is opposed in battle by members of his own family; should he attack and perhaps kill them? Offered the assistance of Kṛṣṇa Devakīputra, he accepts and receives instruction on appropriate conduct and attitudes. The main part of the Gītā records this instruction. Kṛṣṇa points Arjuna to the three paths (marga), of knowledge (jñāna-marga), of action with detachment (karma-marga), and of devotion to God (bhakti-mārga). Since these are ways of being united to the ultimately true and real, they are also known as karmayoga, jñāna-yoga, and bhakti-yoga, the latter amounting to rāja-yoga.

The Gītā appears to have been addressed (the date is uncertain, but c.200 BCE is likely) to a situation in which major unease about the excessive and costly rituals of Brahmanical religion had led to a reaction so severe that it had isolated both Buddhism and Jainism as separate religions. The Gītā appears to make a deliberate attempt to show the worth of the major ways of the continuing tradition (though obviously it corrects any non-theistic system if taken in isolation). It therefore reads as a deliberate attempt to reconcile and hold the line against further schism. It achieves a profound reconciliation; not surprisingly, therefore, it is the most revered and influential text among Hindus.

Hide all research tools
Print this article Print all entries for this topic Cite this article Link to this article
Link to this article

CloseClose

Create a link to this page

Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:

<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/.aspx#1O101-Bhagavadgt" title="Facts and information about Bhagavad-Gita">Bhagavad-Gita</a>

Add this article to Del.icio.usBookmark this article on DiigoShare this article on FacebookSubmit this article to RedditGive this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Bhagavad-gītā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Bhagavad-gītā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (November 12, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Bhagavadgt.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Bhagavad-gītā." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved November 12, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Bhagavadgt.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita.(Brief article)(Book review)
Newspaper article from: Internet Bookwatch; 10/1/2006
Free Article The Bhagavad Gita.(Brief article)(Book review)
Newspaper article from: Internet Bookwatch; 9/1/2007
Free Article The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita.(Brief article)(Book review)
Newspaper article from: Internet Bookwatch; 7/1/2008

Facts and information from other sites

Related topics

  Edit this list

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Chanting the Bhagavad Gita for peace
Newspaper article from: The Malay Mail; 11/29/2003; ; 689 words ; ...s first mass chanting of the Bhagavad Gita for promoting world peace at the...and 4.30pm to 9.30pm. The Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) is the most popular...Hindu community actually read the Bhagavad Gita although the book can be found...
`Bhagavad-Gita' Reveals Essence of Krishna's Theology
Transcript from: NPR All Things Considered; 7/25/1996; 457 words ; ...Consciousness believes that the ``Bhagavad-Gita'' is the penultimate Vedic...Consciousness believe that the `Bhagavad-Gita' is the essence of Vedic knowledge...Gita with English notes, titled Bhagavad-Gita - As It Is. Here's an excerpt...
Interview: Stephen Mitchell, translator of "Bhagavad Gita," discusses his life's work
Transcript from: NPR Weekend Edition - Sunday; 12/24/2000; ; 700+ words ; ...Stephen Mitchell, translator of Bhagavad Gita, discusses his life's work...00 PM LIANE HANSEN, host: The Bhagavad Gita is one of the key spiritual texts...national epic, the Mahabharata. The Bhagavad Gita recounts a battlefield dialogue...
Legend of Bagger Vance: How the Bhagavad Gita landed on a golf course
Newspaper article from: Hinduism Today; 4/30/2001; ; 700+ words ; ...Legend of Bagger Vance: How the Bhagavad Gita landed on a golf course ROBERT...modern-day rendition of the Bhagavad Gita. Redford based the movie on the...explained his book was based on the Bhagavad Gita, "You have never seen eyes glaze...
The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita.(Brief article)(Book review)
Newspaper article from: Internet Bookwatch; 10/1/2006; 505 words ; The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita Paramhansa Yogananda & Swami...424-1055 The Essence Of The Bhagavad Gita by Paramhansa Yogananda (The...exhaustive explanation of the Bhagavad Gita, sacred text to Hindus worldwide...
BHAGAVAD GITA: A NEW TRANSLATION.(Review)
Magazine article from: American Scholar; 1/1/2001; ; 700+ words ; BHAGAVAD GITA: A NEW TRANSLATION By Stephen Mitchell. Harmony Books. $20. If the Bhagavad Gita's relationship to its parent epic...800-line didactic paean we call the Bhagavad Gita, or "Divine Song." All this time...
A holistic approach to business management: perspectives from the Bhagavad Gita.(RESEARCH NOTE)
Magazine article from: Singapore Management Review; 1/1/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...Abstract Taking perspectives from the Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Hindu epic, this...first part is an overview of the Bhagavad Gita, while the second part specifies...form of a management grid. The Bhagavad Gita The first English translation...
Killer's reference to Bhagavad Gita shocks New Yorkers
Newspaper article from: India Abroad; 1/20/2006; ; 677 words ; ...killer's diary reference to the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism's holy books...sacrificing Woods is not something the Bhagavad Gita would endorse. That's what...Krishna Consciousness said the Bhagavad Gita advocates the sanctity of all...
Mass chanting of `Bhagavad Gita'
Newspaper article from: New Straits Times; 11/29/2003; 236 words ; ...29-2003 Mass chanting of `Bhagavad Gita' Edition: Main/Lifestyle...s first mass chanting of the Bhagavad Gita to promote world peace and unity...30am to 9.30pm to read the Bhagavad Gita, a treatise on spiritual life...
The Ethics of the Bhagavad Gita in the Context of the Mahabharata. (Philosophy).
Magazine article from: Michigan Academician; 3/22/2002; ; 605 words ; The Ethics of the Bhagavad Gita in the Context of the Mahabharata...University Center, MI 48710 The Bhagavad Gita is widely regarded as perhaps...or compassion. However, the Bhagavad Gita is a brief excerpt from a much...
Click to see an enlarged picture
Bhagavad-Gita. Other (Public Domain)

For students and teachers!

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Encyclopedia.com provides students and teachers facts, information, and biographies from verified, citable sources, including:

Popular on Newser:

Stewart Catches Hannity Faking Video Footage

(11/11/2009 1:44:01 PM)

Noisy-Sex Woman Loses Appeal

(11/11/2009 4:02:04 PM)

In Palin We Don't Trust: Fox Checks Coin Claim

(11/11/2009 1:23:00 PM)

Porn Doesn't Have to Ruin Sex

(11/11/2009 7:57:01 PM)

100 No-Nos Insulting to Waiters

(11/11/2009 3:37:03 PM)