Description

The 700-verse Bhagavad Gita is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata and is a crisp summary of Indian Vedic wisdom. The most renowned and popular Indian scripture describes Hindu religious thinking and yoga terminology. Drawing on older works like the Upanishads, the Gita provides a worldview that is clear, practical, and open to multiple interpretations. The setting for this philosophical exposition is an ancient Indian battlefield and is a dialogue between the Pandava prince Arjuna and Krishna. Arjuna is concerned about the fairness of murdering so many people, some of whom are his friends and family. He voices his misgivings to Krishna, his charioteer and mentor. The essential principles of the Gita are articulated in Krishna's response. Krishna's argument contains much of the primary ideas in other classic spiritual texts, emphasizing the dualism of soul and matter. One can murder only the body; the eternal soul transmigrates into another body at death or achieves liberation (moksha) or extinction (nirvana), escaping from the circle of rebirth.