WHAT IS THE BHAGAVAD GITA

And Why are We Reading It?

The Text in Context

Bhagavad Gita: “The Song of the Lord” (Krishna)

Part of the Mahabharata Smriti: “remembered” texts (semi-

historic) Vedas and Upanishads are older and

more authoritative but less accessible to the general population

Written between 400 BCE – 400 CE, though originating much earlier as oral tradition

The Gita as a Play

The scene: A battlefield in ancient India

The players: Sanjata: is the narrator Dhrita-Rashtra: the elderly king to whom

the story of the battle and dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna is being told

Arjuna: a noble/warrior of the Kshatriya caste

Krishna: Arjuna’s chariot driver, in reality an incarnation of the god Vishnu

The Content of the Gita

Hinduism in a nutshell: The Four Yogas Reincarnation & Karma Brahman & Atman The three Gunas Bhakti and Karma yoga Jnana and Raja yoga

A Deeper Message

One Grand Metaphor for life What is the real battle? Arjuna is “everyman” What is Krishna? What is the “field”? What is our “duty”?

Universal and Eternal Truths at the heart of any sacred text

What lessons can you find?

Image Citations

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~bump/603B08/web/Avni/Avni%20Mody%27s%20Portfolio/Gita%20I_files/bhagavad-gita-front%255B1%255D.jpg

http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:015iPjH9dgP3nM:http://www.kandamangalam.com/new/Portals/0/Image/BG%20Krishna%20instructs%20Arjuna.jpg

http://www.sulekha.com/mstore/innervoice/albums/default/Krishna.jpg

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/bhakti/images/samsara.jpg http://

www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/ekam-sat.gif

http://www.selftransform.net/BetterLife_files/image002.jpg