Yesterday, we saw how Gita is impacting people around the world. Today in this post, we will see some basics on the Gita literature.
What is Gita?
Gita is a type of ancient Sanskrit literature. There are many Gitas available in Vedas and epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Just like how English's literature have prose, poetry, essay etc. Gita is one of the type of literary work.
We can equate it loosely to a modern psychological counselling. Whenever a seeker undergoes a inner turmoil and the way forward is not clear, he or she will seek wisdom from a learned teacher to alleviate the sorrow.
The teacher will use the knowledge from Vedas, the body of Indian Spiritual knowledge, and tailor it according to the present situation. Typically this enumeration would alleviate the sorrow and uplift the student's mood and kill his confusion.
The characteristics of Gita literature is that its targeted towards a specific individual who is facing a specific problem. Typically these problems are generic enough to be applied to someone else who faces a similar problem.
Another key characteristic of Gita is it provides a spiritual solution to any problem.
For example, These are some of the geetas available in Indic literature:
(source on Gitas: https://www.quora.com/How-many-Gitas-are-there-other-than-the-Bhagavad-Gita)
1. Anu Gita: It occurs in the Adhyaaya 16 of the Ashwamedha Parva of Mahabharata. The conversation is between Arjuna and Shri Krishna after the war and coronation of Yudhisthira.
2. Ashtavakra Gita: It is a conversation between King Janaka and Ashtavakra on soul, bondage and ultimate reality, emphasis being on renunciation.
3. Avadhutha Gita: It is based on the principles of Advaitha Vedanta and is said to have been sung by Lord Dattatreya who was considered an Avadhuta or a saint born on this earth beyond ego concsciousness and duality.
4. Bhagavad Gita: It is a 700 verse scripture from the Bhishmaparva of Mahabharata, which is a conversation between Arjuna and Lord Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.
5. Bhikshu Gita: Found in the fifth chapter of twelfth canto of Shrimad Bhagvatam, it is in the form of a dialogue between King Parikshit and Sage Suka and is a brief exposition of the Vedanta philosophy, Brahman and the Atma.
6. Bodhya Gita: It is a conversation between Rishi Bodhya and King Yayati occurring in the Moksha parva of Shanti Parva.
7. Brahma Gita: It is from the Skanda Purana, 4th adhyaya of Sutha Samhita and first twelve chapters of Yagya Vaibhava Khanda. There is another version with the same name in the latter part of the nirvana portion of 173 to 181 in Yoga Vasishta.
8. Brahmana Gita: It is a part of the Anu Gita which has been mentioned above.
9. Devi Gita: It is part of the Devi Bhagavatham written by the great sage Vyasa, seventh Skandha from adhyaya 31 to 40. It tells us about an incarnation of the Devi wherein she describes her own nature, nature of her worship with meditation, yogic practices, rituals and other austerities.
10. Ganesha Gita: It is from chapters 138-148 of the Kridakandha of Ganesh Puran, which is modelled on the Bhagavad Gita where Ganesha is given the divine and central role. It is a discourse between King Varenya and Lord Ganesha in the form of Gajānana.
11. Gopika Gita: It is the song of the Gopis or the cowherd girls of Brindavan and their deep and selfless love to Lord Krishna. This is in the tenth chapter of the Bhagavat Puran which is the story of Lord Vishnu as told by the great Sage Suka to King Janamejaya.
12. Guru Gita: It was written by Sage Vyasa and consists of 352 verses. It is part of the Skanda Puran and is a dialogue between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati in which she asks him to teach her all about the Guru tattwa.
13. Hamsa Gita (or also referred to as Uddhava Gita): It is in Shrimad Bhagavat Puran, Skandha 11,verse 40 section 6 to section 29 comprising of more than 1000 verses and consists of Krishna’s final discourse to Uddhava before Krishna leaves his mortal coil on Earth.
14. Hanumad Gita: It is the discourse that was given by Mata Sita to Hanumanji after they returned back from Lanka.
15. Hari Gita: It was the name given by Sage Narada to the Bhagavad Gita in the Shanti Parva.
16. Haritha Gita: It is from Mahabharatha, Mokshaparva as a part of Shantiparva. It speaks of non violence in association with sanyasa ashram. It contains twenty verses attributed to Haritha Muni.
17. Ishvara Gita: First 11 chapters of Uttara Vibhaaga from Kurma Purana. It contains the teachings of Lord Shiva also referred to as Ishvara and contains not only the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita but also many new themes like worshipping the Linga, Patanjali’s eight fold yoga and it believes that Shiva is the ultimate goal.
18. Kapila Gita: It is from Shrimad Bhagavatam, Skandha 3, Chapters 23 to 33. It is the story of how Sage Kapila offers solace to his old mother Devahuti whose soul is hungering for spiritual knowledge.
19. Manki Gita: It is from Mahabharata, Moksha parva as a part of Shanti Parva. It is a story narrated in 50 verses of a saint named Manki and his two bullocks, the core message being give up desire and greed and develop compassion for all beings.
20. Pandava Gita or Prapanna Gita: It is called the Song of Surrender and it is made up of a compilation of quotes from many great personalities from the Puranic age who have glorified the Lord including all the Pandavas.
21. Parasara Gita: It is from Mahabharata, Moksha Parva as a part of Shanti Parva and it is the longest of all the Gitas of the Shanti Parva. It consists of nine chapters. It is said to be a dialogue between Sage Parasara the father of Sage Vyasa and King Janaka.
22. Pingala Gita: It is from Mahabharata, Moksha Parva as a part of Shanti Parva. It is a beautiful story told by Shri Krishna to Uddhava about a prostitute Pingala and her story of liberation.
23. Sri Rama Gita: It is from Adhyaatma Ramayan which is a part of Brahmanda Purana in the 5th Sarga of the Uttara Khanda which is the common Gita generally referred to. The other one is common in Tamil Nadu and is found in Guru Gyana Vasishta in TattvaSaarayana. There are three Khandas (parts) in this text namely Gyana Kanda (knowledge), Upasana Khanda (spiritual practice) and Karma Kanda (actions). The Rama Gita has 18 chapters in the second pada of the Upaasana Kanda.
24. Ribhu Gita: It forms the sixth part of the Shiva Rahasya Purana and it is a dialogue between Sage Ribhu and Sage Nidagha in about two thousand verses on the Self and Brahman.
25. Rudra Gita: It is contained in Skanda 4 of the Srimad Bhagavata of chapter 24 in shlokas 16-79 and in Varaha Puran in chapters 70-72.They are instructions given by Lord Shiva to Prachetas (Daksha). It contains verses dedicated to the glory and magnificence of Lord Vishnu. It eulogizes the worship of Vishnu to the path of liberation and self realization and also talks about Hinduism and its teachings.
26. Sampaaka Gita: It is from Mahabharata, Mokshaparva as a part of Shantiparva. It consists of twenty one verses in which Sampaaka a learned and pious Brahmin gives the message that one could attain everlasting happiness only through renunciation.27. Shiva Gita: It is from Patala Khanda of Padma Purana and it is made up of 16 chapters. In this Gita, Sage Agastya consoles Rama when Ravana takes away Sita and advises him to pray to lord Shiva. Lord Shiva appears before Lord Rama and his teachings to Lord Rama forms the Shiva Gita.
28. Sruti Gita: It is contained in Skandha 10, chapter 87 of Srimad Bhagavatam where in King Parikshit asks Sage Suka to explain the attributeless Brahman against the theory of the Gods with attributes.
29. Surya Gita: It is found in Guru Gyana Vasishta in TattvaSaarayana. There are three Khandas(parts) in this text namely Gyana Kanda(knowledge),Upasana Khanda(spiritual practice) and Karma Kanda(actions). The Surya Gita is in first five adhyaayas in the third pada of Karma Kanda. (Vishishta Advaita)
30. Suta Gita: It is from Skanda Purana, Adhyaayas 13 to 20 of Yagya Vaibhava Khanda. It refutes dualism and strictly advocates monism. It differs from the Bhagavad Gita as the Bhagavad Gita gives lots of space for further interpretations other than monism but the Suta Gita does not accept any other idea or interpretation
31. Swaminarayan Gita or Yogi Gita: It is a selection of teachings and prayers of Shri Yogiji Maharaj who was the fourth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan and gives the attributes necessary for a devotee to practice to attain liberation and spiritual enlightenment.
32. Uttara Gita: It is said that after enjoying all the pleasures of the kingdom and the materialistic world as Arjuna grew older, a sense of detachment came over him and he approached Krishna to impart to him the knowledge of the Brahman. It consists of three chapters and it gives answers to Arjuna’s questions.
33. Vallabh Gita: Vallabh Gita is also referred to as Shodasha granthas as Shri Vallabha taught his disciples to seek the true goal of life which is liberation. It is a collection of sixteen works of Shri Vallabh in which all range of subjects have been discussed.
34. Vasishta Gita or Yoga Vasishta: It is a discourse given by Maharishi Vasishta to Prince Rama when Shri Rama is said to be in a dejected state. It consists of 32000 shlokas and is associated with the principles of non duality and Advaita Vedanta.
35. Vibheeshana Gita: This Gita is taught by Lord Rama to Vibheeshana on the battlefield of Lanka and advises Vibheeshana on the virtues of devotion, faith and right values.
36. Vicakhnu Gita: It is from Mahabharata, Mokshaparva as a part of Shanti parva. It speaks about Ahimsa or non violence. It consists of eleven verses and it tells us about King Vicakhnu’s visit to a yagna where animal sacrifice is to be performed and his moving pleas for Ahimsa. This is narrated by Bhishma to Yudhisthira.
37. Vidhura Gita: It is a dialogue between Vidura and King Dhritarashtra wherein he not only advises him about the science of politics but values of right conduct, fairplay and truthfulness.
38. Vritra Gita: It is from Mahabharat, Moksha Parva as a part of Shanti Parva. It is said to be a dialogue between a fierce demon Vritrasura and Shukracharya the Guru of all the demons (Asuras) and it consists of two chapters.
39. Vyaadha Gita: It is from Vana Parva Mahabharata and consists of the teachings given by a butcher(Vyaadha) to a monk which was related to Pandava prince Yudhisthira by Sage Markandeya. The arrogant monk is humbled by the simple butcher who teaches him ‘Nishkama Karma’.
40. Vyasa Gita: It is from Kurma Purana, from 12th Adhyaaya onwards of Uttara Vibhaaga and Sage Vyāsa teaches the highest path to self knowledge. It emphasizes the unity of faiths and on the philosophy of non dualism.
41. Yama Gita: It is said to be of three types-
In Vishnu Puran 3rd Ansh upto 7th chapter.
In Agni Purana,3rd khanda adhyaaya 381
In Narasimha Purana 8th adhyaaya
What is Bhagavad Gita?
Bhagavad Gita is the Gita literature which is part of chapters 23–40 of book 6 of the Mahabharata called the Bhishma Parva. Its created as the discussion between Arjuna, who is a prince in Bharata Varsha- Indic region and Krishna -also called vasudeva, the avatara of Lord Narayana. Let me give a brief backstory of the situation so as to set the context.
Mahabharata is the epic story of the conflict between two branches of Kuru Clan of ancient india. The Clan of Kurus is one of the most famed lineage in Bharatha Varsa, called Chandra Vamsa- Decendants of the Moon God.
They were ruling India for a long time from their capital city Hastinapura- Named after one of the famed king in the lineage Hasthi.
During the period of the epic, there was an ensuing battle between two branches of the same family, The five sons of king Pandu - called Pandavas and Kauravas, the hundred sons of Dritharastra- Pandu's blind elder brother, who is denied the throne due to his lack of eyesight.
Both Pandavas and Kauravas had equal claim to the throne, because, Dritarastra was the elder brother while Pandu was crowned king.
Due to this reason, the council of ministers of Hasthinapura, lead by Vidura, younger brother to both Pandu and Dritarastra and Bhisma, the grandsire of the dynasity , decided to divide the land in to two - Indraprasta and Hastinapura and crowned Yudistira - elder son of Pandu as king for Indraprasta- as Pandu died.
Dritarastra was ruling over Hastinapura, which was meant to be passed to his elder son Duryodhana after him.
Pandavas happily accepted this arrangement and deforested the thick jungles of Indraprastha and built a huge city there.
But Duryodhana was fuming within, because in his mind the entire land was rightfully his, belonging to his father, who is denied the crown because of his handicap. He was egoistic and wanted to kill Pandavas. But the Pandavas were too strong for him to win in a direct battle.
So he hatched a cunning plan with his maternal uncle Sakuni, and invited Pandavas for a gambling dice game. Yudhistira who was addicted to gambling, gambled away the kingdom, his four brothers and their common wife, princess of Panchala called Panchali.
Duryodhana won because Sakuni was using a magic dice which will always favor them.
Once Yudistira lost his wife, Duryodhana tried to disrobe her in public, but failed.
To avoid any bad blood between his and his brothers sons, Dritharastra was willing to free all the pandavas from their gambling debt, but Duryodhana and Sakuni managed to get Yudhistira to replay the dice game with a condition that, if yudishtira won, they would get back everything, if he lost, he along with his wife and brothers, will be banished to thick jungles for thirteen years and incognito for one year, if they were found during the period of incognito, then they will repeat the thirteen years and one year again and the trend will continue. If the Kauravas could not find them in the year of incognito then they will return Indraprastha with its riches at the end of thirteen year period.
Yudistira accepted the condition and played again against the advice but lost it. They went to Jungle and completed incognito successfully in the first thirteen years itself. They returned to hasthinapura and lay their claim on Indraprastha.
But Duryodhana rejected saying that he would not part even a needle tip of land to Pandavas and they have to kill him to get it from him.
Pandavas, who are righteous, tried their best for a truce as a war would be detrimental to the entire Bharatha Varsha. Duryodhana managed to befriend most of the kings of Aryavartha in Pandavas absence, and it would be an all out world war as all lineages would involve in the fight in one side of other.
As a final attempt, they sent Krishna, who is related to them from their mother's side and a thick friend of Arjuna, third born in Pandavas, as a peace emissary. Krishna tried his best to reason Duryodhana, even asked him to give just five houses for Pandavas instead of their share of half kingdom, but Duryodhana was unmoved. War was the only way out.
War was declared, then as expected, the entire rulers sided with one or the other. Arjuna who is known for his archery skill and valor was the key for a Pandava victory. Krishna agreed to serve as his charioteer as he can be close to Arjuna and advice him as required.
Arjuna was eager for the war and on the day of the war, he asked Krishna to station his chariot in the center of the field. Once he saw both sides, he saw that it was abundant with his friends , relatives, teachers, sons etc. He was overcome with the seriousness of the situation which lead to psychosis state.
At that situation, Krishna his Charioteer and Friend , elaborated on Vedic wisdom, which can cure Arjuna and imbibe him with the necessary enthusiasm. We will see more on this when we read chapter 1 and 2, but a thing to note is, Each one of us are waging our own battles in the world. we also go through emotions, worries just like Arjuna, so this teaching of Krishna has universal appeal.
Also when I say Gita, I mean only Bhagavad Gita, unless explicitly stated otherwise.