Bhagavad Gita

About the Author

The Mahabharata is a classic of Indian culture, basically a narrative of war. The original is in Sanskrit, and its author or authors are unknown. However, tradition holds that a legendary sage, Vyasa, dictated the Mahabharata, including the Bhagavad Gita, to the divine scribe, Ganesha. Vyasa was grandfather to both families whose war with each other is narrated in the epic. In addition, the text of the Gita consists primarily of a message from Lord Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu god of preservation. Thus, it has the authority of God by tradition, though it was heard and written down by a human being.

Among language and literature scholars in both India and the West, opinions vary about the date of the Gita’s composition, but current scholarship places it between 200 BCE and 200 CE. It was almost certainly part of India’s oral tradition long before it was written down. As such, it would have been recited by traveling singers with great variety of detail and style; the original written text is composed in a metrical form of poetry that is traditionally chanted. Although the Gita is included in the Mahabharata, some believe it to be a later addition to the epic. Note that although the original Gita is entirely in verse, this translation includes both verse and prose.