Veda Vyasa, Bhagavad-Gita [The Song of God]

Sudeshna Kar Barua (Independent Scholar - Asia)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.3.1.01: Indian Writing and Culture: Ancient and Classical, -600-1750.
Vol. editors: Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Pavan Kumar Malreddy (J W Goethe University of Frankfurt), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University)

Dates

First circulation or publication -500 - -200

Places

India (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Epic
Religion and Spirituality (any)
- Religious writing

Resources

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The two books that one expects to find beside idols of deities in the

Puja

(worship) room of a Hindu home are the epic

Ramayana

and the

Srimad Bhagavad Gita

(henceforth

Gita

), a segment of the second Indian epic, the

Mahabharata.

Notwithstanding controversies regarding its date and authorship, the

Bhagavad Gita

or the Celestial Song is considered an excellent example of a

Smriti

(a venerable work related from memory) and is highly esteemed for its religious and philosophical content. The verses of this text, divided into eighteen units, are moral lessons that transcend barriers of caste, creed, colour and religion as they aim at betterment of the Self and at a

moksha

, a state of perfection/peace/liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth, primarily through perfect Realization of the…

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8478 words

Citation: Kar Barua, Sudeshna. "Bhagavad-Gita". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 July 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38854, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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