Philosophy › Hellenistic, Roman & Han thought › The classical Indian schools (darshanas)
The Bhagavad Gita
c. 2nd century BC (debated)· Book or text· Asian traditions
DebatedScholars disagree about what happened, what it means, or who said it.
A 700-verse Sanskrit poem in which the god Krishna counsels the warrior prince Arjuna on duty, action and devotion just before a battle.
See it on the Philosophy map →The idea
Idea: do your duty (dharma) without clinging to its results. Arjuna, facing cousins and teachers across the field of Kurukshetra, wants to lay down his bow. Krishna answers that the true self (atman) cannot be killed, that a warrior's duty is to fight, and that action done selflessly (karma yoga) or in devotion (bhakti) frees a person from karma. It sits inside the epic Mahabharata, in 18 chapters. Main objection: readers ancient and modern ask whether it justifies violence.
Why it matters
It is the most widely read Hindu scripture; Shankara and many others wrote commentaries on it, and it guided Gandhi's ethic of selfless action.
Think of it like
Like a building manager who runs the property well every day without staking peace of mind on its sale price.
Where it comes from
Preserved as part of Book 6 of the Mahabharata in many manuscripts. Dated by language and content to roughly the 2nd century BC; estimates range from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century AD.
Still debated
Its date, whether it was composed in layers by several hands, and whether any real battle lies behind Kurukshetra are all debated.
Connections (2)
▸The Bhagavad Gita guided Gandhi's satyagraha (nonviolent resistance)Well documented
The connection
Gandhi read the Gita as an allegory: Krishna's call to Arjuna to fight stands for the inner battle against selfishness. Its ideal of action without attachment to results (nishkama karma) became his model for campaigns pursued for truth, accepting whatever suffering followed. He called it his 'spiritual dictionary'.
When and how
He first read it in Edwin Arnold's English translation in London around 1889, with two Theosophist brothers; he later translated it into Gujarati (Anasakti Yoga, 1929).
How we know
Gandhi says so in his autobiography and many talks and letters; his Gujarati translation and commentary survive.
Debates and open questions
The Gita literally urges Arjuna to fight a war; whether Gandhi's nonviolent reading is faithful or a creative reinterpretation is debated.
▸The Bhagavad Gita was commented on by Adi Shankara and Advaita VedantaWell documented
The connection
Shankara wrote the oldest surviving commentary on the Gita, reading it as teaching that liberation comes through knowing the self as Brahman, with selfless action only a preparation. His reading helped fix the Gita as one of Vedanta's three canonical sources, with the Upanishads and Brahma Sutras.
When and how
India, c. AD 700–750 (dates debated), in Shankara's Gita commentary (Gita Bhashya).
How we know
The commentary survives; it mentions earlier commentaries now lost, and later Vedanta teachers wrote rival commentaries in reply.
Debates and open questions
Whether the Gita ranks knowledge above action and devotion is debated; Ramanuja read it as teaching devotion (bhakti) first.