Bhagvat Gita

Bhagavad Gita is also known as Gitopanishad or Yogupanishad. One of the most important Upanishad in Vedic literature is Bhagavad Gita. In fact, it is the essence of Vedic knowledge. It is, indeed, the Book of Song of God. There are even many commentaries written in English on the Bhagavad Gita. Most commonly, it is known as the Gita and is part of the itihaas scripture Mahabharata. It is in the form of a dialogue between Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna?the mighty Pandava warrior. There are around forty chapters in the book and around 700 verses according to Adi Shankaracharya. Bhagavad Gita is the sacred book of the Hindus just like the Bible of the Christians and Quran of the Muslims. The book is written in a poetic form and the Bhagwan in the book is referred to Lord Krishna. The battlefield of Kurukshetra is its place of origin. The context of the book is the conversation between Arjuna and the Lord. The God explains Arjuna his duties as a warrior. The subject matter of the Bhagavad Gita is the explanation of five basic concepts or truths. They are: Kala (Time) Karma (Action) Ishvara (The Supreme Controller) Prakrti (Matter) Jiva (Living beings/the soul) The central message of Bhagavad Gita is that one should discharge ones duty bravely and with selfless dedication, however, hard and unpleasant it might be. We should not wait for results, but go on performing. In fact, every one of us has the responsibility of performing Svadharma to please God. Svadharma means ambition that is matched with one s capacity. Moreover, it also means the necessary inclination and drive so as to achieve the desired goal. In fact, Gita tells us that our well being lies in performing Svadharma. Performing duties for others or Paradharma will positively harm us if chosen by us. Furthermore, Gita also guides us to serve the world and to repay one s debt to the society.