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The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit ?????????, Bhagavad Gita, "Song of God") is a Sanskrit epic, revered as one of the sacred and highly esteemed scriptures of Hinduism.[1][2] The Bhagavad Gita text is a section from the chapter Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata epic, comprising 700 verses.[3] Krishna, as the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, is referred to within as Bhagavan[4] (the divine one). The verses themselves, using the range and style of Sanskrit meter (chhandas) with similes and metaphors, are written in a poetic form that is traditionally chanted; hence the title, which translates to "the Song of the Divine One". The Bhagavad Gita is revered as sacred by Hindu traditions,[5] and especially so by Vaishnavas (followers of Vishnu-Krishna). It is commonly referred to as The Gita. The content of the Gita is the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna taking place on the battlefield before the start of the Kurukshetra war. Responding to Arjuna's confusion and moral dilemma, Krishna explains to Arjuna his duties as a warrior and prince and elaborates on different Yogic[6] and Vedantic philosophies, with examples and analogies. This has led to the Gita often being described as a concise guide to Hindu philosophy and also as a practical, self-contained guide to life. Other noted experts have described it as a lighthouse of eternal wisdom that has the ability to inspire any man or woman to supreme accomplishment and enlightenment. [7] During the discourse, Krishna reveals his identity as the Supreme Being Himself (Svayam bhagavan), blessing Arjuna with an awe-inspiring vision of his divine universal form. The Bhagavad Gita is also called Gitopanishad as well as Yogopanishad, implying its status as an Upanishad, or a Vedantic scripture.[8] Since the Gita is drawn from the Mahabharata, it is included in Smriti texts. However, being one of the Upanishads, it has a status of sruti, or revealed knowledge.[9][10] Since the Bhagavad Gita represents a summary of the Upanishadic teachings, it is also called as the Upanishad of the Upanishads.[1] The Gita is also called a mokshashastra, or scripture of liberation, since it deals with the science of the absolute and lays down the way to emancipation.[11] The Bhagavad Gita occurs in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata and comprises 18 chapters from the 25th to the 42nd and consists of 700 verses.[12]
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