The Bhagavad Gita: Resources

Teaching Hinduism? The Bhagavad Gita is a central Hindu text, maybe as important as the Bible is to Christians. Part of a larger text called the Mahabharata and written over 2000 years ago, the Gita essentially explains the nature of life and offers a way to live it.

Annenberg Learner’s Invitation to World Literature has a great 30-minute overview of the story along with other educational resources.

The Gita teaches about life through the crisis of a young man called Arjuna who must decide whether to fight against his relatives in a huge battle. Conflicted and uncertain, Arjuna turns to his charioteer, Krishna, god in human form, and asks his advice.

After seeing fathers-in-law, companions, and all his kinsmen standing in the ranks of the two armies, Arjuna was overcome with great compassion and sorrowfully spoke these words: O Krishna, seeing my kinsmen standing with a desire to fight, my limbs fail and my mouth becomes dry. My body quivers and my hairs stand on end. (1.27-29)

According to Columbia University professor, Jack Hawley,

“Arjuna has the challenge of trying to figure out how he should ready himself for whatever is coming, how he should become disciplined. There’s the discipline of knowledge, there’s the discipline of action, karma, and there’s the discipline of love, bhakti.”

Barbara Stoler Miller’s 2004 translation of the Gita is good and less than $6.00 at Amazon. Annenberg Learner has a list of other translations and editions.

In addition to the resources from Annenberg Learner, this animated cartoon for kids offers a simpler overview.