Bhagavad-Gita is one of the most sacred Indian scriptures and is part of the Indian epic Mahabharata. It forms a very important part of Vedic literature. Bhagavad-Gita, also known as Gitopanishad has 701 verses across 18 chapters. The Bhagavad-Gita has the teachings of Lord Krishna to the great warrior Arjuna at the time of the great war of Mahabharata.

The occasion for these teachings was furnished by the great war, between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who were related to each other. As the battle is about to begin, Arjuna, the third of the five Pandava brothers, throws down his bow and arrow, and confesses his inability to kill his own cousins and kinsmen, as well as those revered teachers who had been the common tutors of the Kauravas and Pandavas. Lord Krishna then delivers an oration, urging Arjuna to perform his duty, to be the warrior that he is, and it is these teachings that are encapsulated in the Bhagavad-Gita. Bhagvad-Gita literally translates to “The Song of the Lord”.

The essence of the Bhagavad-Gita is the vision of all things in God and the vision of God in all things. It imparts the knowledge of Self and answers two universal questions: who am I and how can I lead a happy and peaceful life in the world of dualities.

The Bhagavad-Gita lays out several paths to emancipation: those inclined towards service to humankind can practice Karma Yoga, those inclined towards devotion can practice Bhakti Yoga, and those inclined towards knowledge can practice Jnana yoga, the path of intellectual discrimination.

The reason that the Bhagvad-Gita is so appealing is because it deals with a practical problem of everyday life, namely, how can a person do his duty in this society with righteousness. The main aim of the Bhagavad-Gita is to teach lessons that can be useful in our daily life so that one can enhance the quality of life one is living and attain our goal of God realization. Reading of the Bhagavad-Gita makes us believe that when we have total faith in God., then we will have no fears, worries and doubts in the action we are performing and finally will attain mental peace.

The greatness of the Bhagavad-Gita lies in its perennial philosophy of enduring values for all mankind. Its teachings are universal in nature and can be applied to any situation in life, and are applicable to everyone irrespective of place, race, language or time.