Background of Bhagavad Gita.

The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Epic Mahabharata of Rishi Vedavyasa.  The Mahabharata contains about 100,000 verses.   Among the scriptures originating from the four Vedas, The Mahabharata is revered as the ‘Panchama Veda‘ or the fifth Veda.  The abstract and mystic essence of the  four Vedas are illustrated in the simple way that can be accessed across the whole population by a scriptural repertoire under the categories of Smritis, Puranas and Itihasa.   The Ramayana and the Mahabharata come under the Itihasa category.

The context of the Bhagavad Gita is, the acceptance by the two parties, cousins from the same family lineage,  to face each other in a decisive battle. The war became inevitable after  prolonged, multifaceted attempt for a peaceful resolution failed.  The main players are the Kauravas, the 100 Sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra, (Duryodhana being the eldest) on one side and the Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu (brother of Dhritarashtra who is not alive), on the other .  The five Pandavas are Yudhishthira, Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva.

The Bhagavad Gita is a conversation between Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna.  Sri Krishna is the visible form of the eternal consciousness of the all pervading Divine Being,  manifesting in human form, the AVATARA.   The AVATARA serves the purpose of  reaffirming the eternal laws for purposeful living that forms the basis for  answering all life’s questions.  Arjuna represents the human who faces a dilemma in choosing the right course of action.

The Bhagavad Gita is considered a ‘Shruti‘ text, just as the Vedas.  The essence of the Vedas is crystallized and the application of it to life is revealed elegantly.  Hence, the message is applicable at all times in human history.

In the Mahabharata war, Lord Sri Krishna is the charioteer for Arjuna, one of the Pandavas.  The Bhagavad Gita, the conversation between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, is narrated to the blind king Dhritarashtra by his trusted friend Sanjaya.   Sanjaya had the divine gift of spiritual eye-sight from Rishi Vedavyasa.  By this, he was able to see all the happenings at the battle field from wherever he was.  Sanjaya would relate happenings on the battlefield to the king.   When the battle was declared, Rishi Vedavyasa offered to grant the same spiritual eye-sight to Dhritarashtra by which he would be able to watch the battle field from his chamber.  Dhritarashtra opted the same to be given to Sanjaya.