The Bhagavad-gītā, often know as The Gītā, is one of the most popular scriptures in the Vedic tradition. It is an in-depth conversation between the prince Arjuṇa and Lord Krṣṇa and takes place just before the great war and presents a range of philosophical topics that offer helpful ideas about how to live our life.
The text is a synthesis of high quality of the core teachings from the Vedic culture, and hence is also often called as an Upaniṣad, despite it not being part of the four Veda-s. It combines many different elements from Sāṁkhya, Yoga and Vedānta philosophies and therefore provides insight into various facets of the Vedic tradition.
Fact 1 | Why is it called the Lord's song, when it is actually a conversation?
The Bhagavad-gītā is presented as a clear narrative between Lord Kṛṣṇa and his disciple, Arjuṇa, the warrior prince. However, it is presented in a poetic metric utilising two types of Chandas (metric) called the Anuṣṭup-chandas and the Triṣṭup-chandas. The majority of the verses are set in the Anuṣṭup-chandas, which is essentially a metric of eight syllables in each quarter of the verse. The remaining are presented in the Triṣṭup-chandas, a metric of eleven syllables in each quarter. These metrics make it a musical text and hence the name Gītā.
There is an alternate view to this question as well. In Vedic tradition, the body is compared to a musical instrument. Just as the wind blows through most musical instruments to produce melodious tunes, Prāṇa flows through our system to create fine-tunes that is witnessed through our expression of words, actions and thoughts. Especially when we are established in our Dharma, the essential theme of the Gītā, our words, actions, and intentions converge forming a harmonious wave of life. This is what the divine Lord Kṛṣṇa is teaching his protege, and is another reason why its called the Song of God.
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In October 2020, we are offering an online seminar titled The Yoga of the Bhagavad-gītā, where Dr Kausthub Desikachar will present key Yogic Concepts presented in the text and compare it with how they have been presented in the Yogasūtra-s of Patañjali.
Don’t miss this chance to dive deep into the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā.