What is the Bhagavad Gita and what does it teach?
The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse scripture in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata where Bhagavan Shri Krishna imparts the syntheses of Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga to Arjuna. This digital edition provides 18 chapter guides with curated key verses.
18 Chapters of Srimad Bhagavad Gita — 15 Curated Study Shlokas
The Bhagavad Gita is the crest jewel of the Mahabharata (Bhishma Parva, Chapters 25-42). Below is the 18-chapter directory featuring 15 curated study shlokas with authentic Gita Press Gorakhpur summaries, core teachings, and commentary across all 700 canonical verses:
The Yoga of Arjuna's Dejection. Standing on the battlefield of Kurukshetra between both armies, Arjuna is overwhelmed by grief, attachment, and moral conflict upon seeing his teachers, kin, and elders arrayed for battle.
The Yoga of Knowledge. Lord Krishna reveals the eternal immortality of the Atman (Self), teaches the equanimity of Nishkama Karma Yoga (selfless action without longing for fruits), and describes the qualities of the Sthitaprajna (man of steady wisdom).
The Yoga of Action. Explains why action is inescapable and how work performed as a selfless sacrifice (Yajna) for the welfare of the world (Lokasangraha) leads to liberation without karmic bondage.
The Yoga of Wisdom and Renunciation of Action. The divine descent of God (Avatar), the secret of action in inaction, and how the fire of transcendental knowledge burns all karmic reactions to ashes.
The Yoga of Renunciation. Harmonizes external action with internal renunciation. The enlightened sage acts with pure mind, untouched by sin, like a lotus leaf untouched by water.
The Yoga of Meditation and Self-Control. Practical disciplines for calming the restless mind, proper posture, moderation in food and sleep, and contemplation on the indwelling Self.
The Yoga of Knowledge and Realization. The material and spiritual energies of the Divine, the illusion of Maya, the four kinds of pious seekers, and recognizing God as the essence in all things.
The Yoga of the Imperishable Brahman. The mystery of death, the state of consciousness at the final hour, and the paths of return and non-return for the departing soul.
The Yoga of Sovereign Science and Sovereign Secret. The magnificent cosmic presence of God, the supreme power of pure unmotivated devotion, and divine grace extended to all souls without distinction.
The Yoga of Divine Glories. Lord Krishna enumerates His principal divine manifestations in nature, consciousness, elements, sages, and virtues so that the mind can see divinity everywhere.
The Vision of the Universal Cosmic Form. Lord Krishna bestows divine sight on Arjuna, revealing His terrifying, all-encompassing cosmic form containing all worlds, gods, celestial bodies, and the inescapable flow of Time.
The Yoga of Devotion. The contrast between worship of the personal God and contemplation of the formless Absolute, and the luminous portrait of the devotee who is deeply dear to the Lord.
The Yoga of Discrimination between the Field (Kshetra, body/mind) and the Knower of the Field (Kshetrajna, pure consciousness).
The Yoga of the Three Gunas. Detailed analysis of the three fundamental qualities of Nature: Sattva (purity/light), Rajas (passion/craving), and Tamas (inertia/delusion), and how to transcend them.
The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Person. The allegorical Ashwattha tree of worldly existence, the indwelling soul, and the distinction between the Perishable (Kshara), Imperishable (Akshara), and Supreme Being (Purushottama).
The Yoga of Division between Divine and Demonic Natures. Outlines the 26 divine virtues that liberate the soul and the demonic tendencies that bind it into suffering.
The Yoga of the Threefold Division of Faith. Explores how faith, food, sacrifice (yajna), austerity (tapas), and charity (dana) are categorized according to Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. The significance of OM TAT SAT.
The Grand Conclusion: The Yoga of Liberation through Renunciation. Synthesizes Tyaga and Sannyasa, the five factors of action, intellect (Buddhi) and resolve (Dhriti), Swadharma, and the ultimate surrender to God (Sharanagati).