Bhagavad Gita

The 700-verse Bhagavad Gita is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata and. ad The popular Indian scripture describes Hindu religious thinking and yoga terminology. Drawing on older works like the Upanishads, the Gita provides a clear and practical worldview. The setting for this philosophical exposition is an ancient Indian battlefield. Arjuna is concerned about the fairness of murdering so many people, some of whom are his friends and family. He voices his misgivings to Krishna, his charioteer and mentor. Krishna's response forms the Gita. Krishna's argument contains much of the primary ideas in other classic spiritual texts and emphasizes the dualism of soul and matter. One can murder only the body; the eternal soul transmigrates into another body at death or achieves liberation (moksha) or extinction (nirvana), escaping from the circle of rebirth.