Scripture
The Song of God — 18 Chapters · 700 Verses
On the eve of the great battle of Kurukṣetra, a warrior named Arjuna sets down his bow and refuses to fight. His charioteer — who is God in human form — answers with a teaching that has guided human beings across five millennia.
Enter chapter.verse — e.g. 2.47, 9.26, 18.66
The Distress of Arjuna
The Gita opens not with philosophy but with a crisis. Two vast armies face each other at Kurukṣetra. Arjuna, the greatest archer of his age, asks his charioteer…
47 verses Chapter 2The Path of Knowledge
Arjuna collapses in grief. Kṛṣṇa first gently rebukes him, then — when Arjuna formally surrenders as a student — begins the teaching that runs through the rest …
72 verses Chapter 3The Path of Action
Arjuna is confused: if knowledge is higher than action, why act at all? Kṛṣṇa explains that no one can live without acting — and that action done without selfis…
43 verses Chapter 4The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action
Kṛṣṇa reveals that this ancient teaching has been passed through a chain of teachers and has now been lost. He restates it because Arjuna is His devotee and fri…
42 verses Chapter 5The Yoga of Renunciation
Arjuna asks which is better — renouncing action or performing it. Kṛṣṇa says both lead to the same destination, but acting in the world with detachment is easie…
29 verses Chapter 6The Yoga of Meditation
Kṛṣṇa gives practical guidance for meditation: the right place, posture, diet, and wakefulness. Arjuna protests that the mind is like wind — nearly impossible t…
47 verses Chapter 7Knowledge and Wisdom
Kṛṣṇa describes His own nature: His eightfold material energy of earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and ego — and beyond that, His higher spiritua…
30 verses Chapter 8The Imperishable Absolute
Arjuna asks seven questions — about Brahman, the self, action, the material world, the divine, and what happens at death. Kṛṣṇa answers each in turn. The centra…
28 verses Chapter 9The Royal Knowledge, The Royal Secret
Kṛṣṇa calls this chapter the most confidential of all knowledge. He pervades the entire universe yet nothing rests in Him — He sustains all things while remaini…
34 verses Chapter 10Divine Manifestations
Kṛṣṇa lists His divine glories — the ways His presence shows up in the fabric of existence. He is the light in fire, the intelligence in the intelligent, the st…
42 verses Chapter 11The Vision of the Cosmic Form
Arjuna asks to see Kṛṣṇa's universal form. Kṛṣṇa grants him divine vision, and Arjuna beholds something that defies words — countless faces, arms, and bodies; s…
55 verses Chapter 12The Path of Devotion
Arjuna asks which is the better path — worshipping the personal form of God or meditating on the formless, unmanifest Absolute. Kṛṣṇa says those who fix their m…
20 verses Chapter 13The Field and the Knower of the Field
Kṛṣṇa introduces a key distinction: the body is the "field" — the arena of experience. The "knower of the field" is the conscious self within. Understanding thi…
35 verses Chapter 14The Three Modes of Material Nature
All of material existence is woven from three qualities: sattva (goodness and clarity), rajas (passion and restlessness), and tamas (inertia and darkness). Thes…
27 verses Chapter 15The Supreme Person
Kṛṣṇa describes the material world as an ancient banyan tree whose roots grow upward — a metaphor for the way this world reflects a higher reality but in an inv…
20 verses Chapter 16Divine and Demoniac Natures
Kṛṣṇa describes two kinds of human beings: those who embody divine qualities — fearlessness, honesty, compassion, humility — and those who embody demoniac ones …
24 verses Chapter 17The Three Divisions of Faith
Arjuna asks: what about those who worship sincerely but outside the Vedic framework — what mode are they in? Kṛṣṇa answers that faith itself takes three forms a…
28 verses Chapter 18Liberation Through Renunciation
The final chapter draws together all the threads. Kṛṣṇa clarifies the difference between renunciation and giving up fruits. He revisits knowledge, action, and t…
78 verses