Bhagavad Gita

Summary

The Gita is a talk between prince Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna. At the start of the Dharma Yudhha (righteous war) between the Pandavas and Kauravas, Arjuna is filled with great moral dilemma and despair about the violence and death the war will cause in the battle against his own kin. He wonders if he should renounce and seeks Krishna's counsel, whose answers constitute the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna counsels Arjuna to "fulfill his Kshatriya (warrior) duty to uphold the Dharma" through "selfless action".The Krishna–Arjuna dialogues cover a broad range of spiritual topics, touching upon ethical dilemmas and philosophical issues that go far beyond the war Arjuna faces. According to some, Bhagavad Gita is written by Lord Ganesha and was told to him by Vyasa. The setting of the Gita is a great battlefield. The Bhagavad Gita presents a synthesis of ideas about dharma, theistic bhakti, and the yogic ideals of moksha.The text covers jnana, bhakti, karma, and Raja Yoga. The Gita's call for selfless action inspired many leaders of the Indian independence movement including Mahatma Gandhi; the latter referred to it as his "spiritual dictionary.