The Song of the Lord · Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita on one page: what it is, its key facts, all 18 chapters in a line each, and 15 famous shlokas in Sanskrit with plain English and Hindi meanings.
- Spoken by
- Krishna
- to Arjuna, on his chariot
- Where
- Kurukshetra
- on the battlefield, before the war
- Chapters · verses
- 18 · 700
- in the Gita Press count
- Written down by
- Vyasa
- as part of the Mahabharata
18 chapters · 700 verses · each bar as tall as its chapter
- Action 1–6
- Devotion 7–12
- Knowledge 13–18
What the Bhagavad Gita is
The Bhagavad Gita, “the Song of the Lord”, is a conversation of 700 verses between Krishna and the warrior prince Arjuna. It sits inside the Mahabharata, but it is read as a scripture of its own and is one of the most loved books in Hinduism.
The setting is the field of Kurukshetra, moments before a great war between two branches of one family. Arjuna sees his teachers, cousins and elders in the army facing him, loses heart and puts down his bow. Krishna, who is driving his chariot, answers his despair, and the answer becomes the Gita.
It matters because it speaks to everyday life: how to act without being ruled by results, how to face loss, and how to find God through work, knowledge and love. Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva and many later teachers wrote commentaries on it, and Gandhi called it his mother.
Key facts
- Who wrote it?
- Tradition credits the sage Vyasa, who composed the Mahabharata. Krishna speaks it, and Sanjaya, given divine sight by Vyasa, describes it to the blind king Dhritarashtra.
- When was it composed?
- Scholars’ estimates vary widely; most place it roughly between the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE, and some later. Tradition holds it was spoken at the close of the Dvapara Yuga, shortly before the Kali Yuga began.
- What language is it in?
- Sanskrit. Most verses are in the anushtubh metre, two lines of sixteen syllables, with some longer trishtubh verses such as 2.20 and 2.22.
- Where is it in the Mahabharata?
- In the Bhishma Parva, the sixth of the epic’s eighteen books: chapters 23 to 40 in the Critical Edition, or 25 to 42 in some other editions.
- How many verses does it have?
- 700, in the count Shankara gives and Gita Press follows. Some editions count 701, because they number Arjuna’s question at the start of chapter 13 as a verse of its own.
- What are its three paths?
- Karma yoga, the path of selfless action; jnana yoga, the path of knowledge; and bhakti yoga, the path of devotion. A common reading takes chapters 1 to 6 as stressing action, 7 to 12 devotion, and 13 to 18 knowledge.
- Who speaks in it?
- Mostly Krishna. Arjuna asks the questions, Sanjaya narrates, and Dhritarashtra speaks only the first verse.
- When is Gita Jayanti?
- On Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi, the eleventh day of the bright half of Margashirsha (November or December), the same day as Mokshada Ekadashi.
The 18 chapters
In three sets of six: action, devotion, knowledge
- 147 verses
Arjuna Vishada Yoga Arjuna’s despair
Seeing his own family in both armies, Arjuna loses heart, lays down his bow and will not fight.
- 272 verses
Sankhya Yoga The path of knowledge
Krishna begins: the self never dies, so do your duty with a steady mind, without clinging to results.
- 343 verses
Karma Yoga The path of action
No one can live without acting, so act selflessly, as an offering, and set a good example for others.
- 442 verses
Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga Knowledge, action and renunciation
Krishna says he comes age after age to restore dharma, and that knowledge frees action from bondage.
- 529 verses
Karma Sanyasa Yoga Renouncing the fruits of action
Giving up action and acting without attachment reach the same goal, but selfless action is the easier road.
- 647 verses
Atma Samyama Yoga Meditation and self-control
How to sit, steady the mind and meditate, and how a restless mind can be trained with practice.
- 730 verses
Jnana Vijnana Yoga Knowledge and its realisation
Krishna describes his higher and lower nature, and the four kinds of people who turn to him.
- 828 verses
Akshara Brahma Yoga The imperishable
What happens at death: whatever we remember at the last moment shapes where we go next.
- 934 verses
Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga The royal knowledge, the royal secret
The simplest devotion is enough: a leaf, a flower or a little water, offered with love, reaches Krishna.
- 1042 verses
Vibhuti Yoga Divine glories
Wherever there is splendour, strength or beauty, Krishna says, it comes from a spark of him.
- 1155 verses
Vishvarupa Darshana Yoga The vision of the cosmic form
Arjuna sees Krishna’s universal form, holding all worlds and all time, and is filled with awe and fear.
- 1220 verses
Bhakti Yoga The path of devotion
Loving devotion is the dearest path, and Krishna lists the qualities of the devotee he loves.
- 1334 verses
Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga The field and its knower
The body is the field, the self is the one who knows it, and wisdom is telling the two apart.
- 1427 verses
Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga The three gunas
All of nature is woven from three qualities, sattva, rajas and tamas, and the wise rise above all three.
- 1520 verses
Purushottama Yoga The supreme person
The world is an upside-down ashvattha tree; cut it with detachment and find the supreme person beyond it.
- 1624 verses
Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga The divine and the demonic
Fearlessness, honesty and kindness lead upward; desire, anger and greed are the three gates to ruin.
- 1728 verses
Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga The three kinds of faith
Faith, food, worship, discipline and giving each take three forms, shaped by the three gunas.
- 1878 verses
Moksha Sanyasa Yoga Freedom through renunciation
Krishna gathers up the teaching and asks for full surrender; Arjuna’s doubts are gone and he takes up his bow.
15 famous shlokas
Sanskrit, English letters, and the meaning in English and Hindi
- 2.14
Matra sparshas tu kaunteya Bear what comes and goes
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः।
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत॥Matra sparshas tu kaunteya shitoshna sukha duhkha dah,
Agamapayino nityas tams titikshasva Bharata.Heat and cold, pleasure and pain arise when the senses meet the world, Arjuna. They come and they go; none of them lasts. Learn to bear them with patience.
हे अर्जुन, सर्दी-गर्मी और सुख-दुख तब आते हैं जब इन्द्रियाँ संसार से मिलती हैं। ये आते हैं और चले जाते हैं, कोई भी टिकता नहीं। इन्हें धीरज से सहना सीखो।
People turn to it in hard times as a reminder that every pain, like every pleasure, passes.
- 2.20
Na jayate mriyate va The self never dies
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे॥Na jayate mriyate va kadachin nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah,
Ajo nityah shashvato yam purano na hanyate hanyamane sharire.The self is never born and never dies. It did not come into being, and it will never stop being. Unborn, eternal, lasting and ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed.
आत्मा न कभी जन्म लेती है, न कभी मरती है। वह न कभी बनी है, न कभी मिटेगी। वह अजन्मी, नित्य, सदा रहने वाली और पुरातन है; शरीर के मारे जाने पर भी वह नहीं मरती।
It is read at funerals and in grief, as the Gita’s clearest word that the one we love has not ended.
- 2.22
Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya Like changing worn-out clothes
वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि।
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णान्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही॥Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grihnati naro parani,
Tatha sharirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi.Just as a person takes off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, the soul leaves a worn-out body and moves into a new one.
जैसे मनुष्य पुराने कपड़े उतारकर नए कपड़े पहन लेता है, वैसे ही आत्मा पुराना शरीर छोड़कर नए शरीर में चली जाती है।
Its simple picture of rebirth is the one most Hindus learn first, and it comforts families at a death.
- 2.47
Karmanye vadhikaraste Act, without clinging to the fruit
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana,
Ma karma phala hetur bhur, ma te sango stv akarmani.Your right is to the work alone, never to what it brings. Do not let the reward be your reason for acting, and do not hold on to doing nothing either.
तुम्हारा अधिकार केवल कर्म करने में है, उसके फल पर कभी नहीं। फल पाने के लिए कर्म मत करो, और कर्म न करने से भी लगाव मत रखो।
The most quoted verse of the Gita: people hold on to it before exams, interviews and any work whose result is out of their hands.
- 2.48
Yogasthah kuru karmani Evenness of mind is yoga
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते॥Yogasthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktva Dhananjaya,
Siddhy asiddhyoh samo bhutva samatvam yoga uchyate.Steady in yoga, do your work, Arjuna, and let go of attachment. Stay the same in success and in failure; this evenness of mind is what yoga means.
हे अर्जुन, योग में स्थिर रहकर और लगाव छोड़कर अपना कर्म करो। सफलता और असफलता में एक जैसे रहो; मन का यही समभाव योग कहलाता है।
It follows 2.47 and gives the Gita’s own short definition of yoga: a calm mind, whatever the outcome.
- 3.21
Yad yad acharati shreshthah Others follow your example
यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जनः।
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते॥Yad yad acharati shreshthas tat tad evetaro janah,
Sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate.Whatever a great person does, others copy. Whatever standard they set, the world follows.
श्रेष्ठ व्यक्ति जैसा आचरण करता है, दूसरे लोग भी वैसा ही करते हैं। वह जो मानक बना देता है, दुनिया उसी पर चलती है।
Parents, teachers and leaders quote it as a reminder that people learn more from what we do than from what we say.
- 4.7
Yada yada hi dharmasya Whenever dharma declines
यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati Bharata,
Abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham.Whenever dharma weakens and adharma rises, Arjuna, I bring myself into the world.
हे अर्जुन, जब-जब धर्म कमज़ोर पड़ता है और अधर्म बढ़ता है, तब-तब मैं स्वयं को प्रकट करता हूँ।
Krishna’s promise to return is the heart of the avatar teaching, and one of the best-known lines in all of Hindu scripture.
- 4.8
Paritranaya sadhunam Age after age, I come
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे॥Paritranaya sadhunam vinashaya cha dushkritam,
Dharma samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge.To protect the good, to put an end to those who do evil, and to set dharma firmly in place again, I am born, age after age.
सज्जनों की रक्षा के लिए, बुरे काम करने वालों के नाश के लिए और धर्म को फिर से मज़बूती से स्थापित करने के लिए, मैं हर युग में जन्म लेता हूँ।
Sung together with 4.7, it tells why the avatars come, and families recite the pair at Janmashtami and Rama Navami.
- 6.5
Uddhared atmanatmanam Lift yourself up
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥Uddhared atmanatmanam natmanam avasadayet,
Atmaiva hy atmano bandhur atmaiva ripur atmanah.Raise yourself by your own effort, and do not let yourself sink. You alone are your own friend, and you alone can be your own enemy.
अपने आप को अपने ही प्रयास से ऊपर उठाओ, अपने आप को नीचे मत गिरने दो। मनुष्य स्वयं ही अपना मित्र है और स्वयं ही अपना शत्रु।
It is the Gita’s word on self-help: no one else can do our inner work for us.
- 9.22
Ananyash chintayanto mam I carry what you need
अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते।
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम्॥Ananyash chintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate,
Tesham nityabhiyuktanam yogakshemam vahamyaham.Those who think of me alone and worship me with no other aim, always joined to me: I bring them what they lack and keep safe what they have.
जो लोग किसी और को नहीं, केवल मुझे याद करते हुए मेरी उपासना करते हैं और सदा मुझसे जुड़े रहते हैं, उन्हें जो चाहिए वह मैं देता हूँ और जो उनके पास है उसकी रक्षा करता हूँ।
Devotees lean on this promise in times of worry; "yogakshemam vahamyaham" is the motto of India’s Life Insurance Corporation.
- 9.26
Patram pushpam phalam toyam A leaf, a flower, offered with love
पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति।
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मनः॥Patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayachchhati,
Tad aham bhaktyupahritam ashnami prayatatmanah.Whoever offers me with love a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water, I accept that loving gift from one whose heart is pure.
जो कोई प्रेम से मुझे एक पत्ता, एक फूल, एक फल या थोड़ा जल अर्पित करता है, उस शुद्ध मन वाले की प्रेम से दी हुई भेंट को मैं स्वीकार करता हूँ।
It is why the smallest home puja is enough: God asks for love, not for costly offerings.
- 12.13
Adveshta sarva bhutanam The devotee Krishna loves
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च।
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी॥Adveshta sarva bhutanam maitrah karuna eva cha,
Nirmamo nirahankarah sama duhkha sukhah kshami.One who bears ill will to no living being, who is friendly and kind, free of ‘mine’ and of ego, steady in sorrow and joy, and forgiving: such a devotee, the next verse ends, is dear to me.
जो किसी भी प्राणी से द्वेष नहीं करता, सबका मित्र है और दयालु है, जिसमें ‘मेरा’ और अहंकार का भाव नहीं है, जो दुख-सुख में एक-सा रहता है और क्षमा करता है: ऐसा भक्त, अगला श्लोक कहता है, मुझे प्रिय है।
It opens the Gita’s portrait of a true devotee, a checklist many people read to measure their own hearts.
- 15.7
Mamaivamsho jivaloke A part of the divine in every being
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।
मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति॥Mamaivamsho jivaloke jivabhutah sanatanah,
Manah shashthanindriyani prakritisthani karshati.An eternal part of my own self has become the living soul in every being in this world. It draws to itself the mind and the five senses, which belong to nature.
इस संसार में हर जीव के भीतर जो आत्मा है, वह मेरा ही सनातन अंश है। वही प्रकृति में रहने वाले मन और पाँच इन्द्रियों को अपनी ओर खींचती है।
It says every living being carries a spark of God, which is why Hindus see the divine in all life.
- 18.66
Sarva dharman parityajya Take refuge in me alone
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहं त्वां सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः॥Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja,
Aham tvam sarva papebhyo mokshayishyami ma shuchah.Set aside every other duty and take refuge in me alone. I will free you from every wrong. Do not grieve.
सारे धर्मों को छोड़कर केवल मेरी शरण में आ जाओ। मैं तुम्हें सब पापों से मुक्त कर दूँगा। शोक मत करो।
Many teachers call it the last word of the Gita: complete surrender, and Krishna’s promise to carry the rest.
- 18.78
Yatra yogeshvarah krishno Where Krishna and Arjuna stand
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम॥Yatra yogeshvarah Krishno yatra Partho dhanurdharah,
Tatra shrir vijayo bhutir dhruva nitir matir mama.Wherever Krishna, the lord of yoga, is, and wherever Arjuna, the archer, is, there will be good fortune, victory, plenty and steady right conduct. That is my belief.
जहाँ योगेश्वर कृष्ण हैं और जहाँ धनुर्धारी अर्जुन हैं, वहीं लक्ष्मी, विजय, समृद्धि और अटल नीति रहती है, ऐसा मेरा मत है।
The Gita’s closing verse, spoken by Sanjaya, is recited to end a reading with a blessing.
Questions
Who wrote the Bhagavad Gita?
Tradition says the sage Vyasa composed it as part of the Mahabharata. In the story it is spoken by Krishna to Arjuna and narrated by Sanjaya to King Dhritarashtra. Scholars see it as the work of one or more poets whose names are not recorded.
How many chapters and verses are in the Bhagavad Gita?
18 chapters and 700 verses in the standard count used by Gita Press. Some editions count 701, adding Arjuna’s question at the start of chapter 13.
What does the Bhagavad Gita say about karma?
That no one can live without acting, so act well: do your duty fully, but do not work only for the reward or cling to the result (2.47). Action offered without selfish attachment does not bind you, and a calm mind in success and failure is itself yoga (2.48).
Which verse should a beginner start with?
Start with 2.47, Karmanye vadhikaraste, and read 2.48 after it. Then read 2.20 and 2.22 on the undying self, and 4.7 and 4.8 on why Krishna comes. Chapter 2 on its own gives the whole teaching in brief.
When should I read the Bhagavad Gita?
At any time. Many people read one chapter a day, or a few verses each morning. It is read in full on Gita Jayanti, on Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi, and many families read it at a death and in the days of mourning.
Is the Bhagavad Gita part of the Mahabharata?
Yes. It is in the Bhishma Parva, the sixth book, just as the battle of Kurukshetra is about to begin. It is so widely read on its own that its chapters are numbered 1 to 18 rather than by their place in the epic.
Which translation should I read?
Choose one that prints the Sanskrit beside the meaning, ideally with a word-by-word gloss, in a language you read easily. Every translation follows a teacher or tradition, so it helps to compare two, and free online editions let you read several side by side.