The Song Celestial or Bhagavad-Gita (Annotated)

The Bhagavad Gita is a book within the great epic called the Mahabharata, or sometimes referred to as the Story of the Bharat (India). The Bhagavad Gita is the sixth book of the Mahabharata. People often refer to it as just the Gita. The Mahabharata is made up of eighteen books that all contain poems which tell a story. The main plot of the Mahabharata is to do with the conflict between two sets of paternal cousins that vie for the throne of Hastinapura. This was a kingdom in the northern region of modern day Delhi. Each group of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, both felt they were entitled to power over Hastinapura. The Kauravas had first taken over the land and the Pandavas pleaded with the eldest of the Kauravas, Duryodhana, to give them back their kingdom or at least a share of the land. Duryodhana did not agree to their demands and refused to give them any share of the land. This was what set off the beginning of the war between the two groups of cousins. The Bhagavad Gita is known as the Song of God. It is an ancient Hindu scripture that is believed to be the universal book of thoughts and knowledge. The Sanskrit expresses practical thoughts and instructions for various life practices such as Vedanta, Action, Devotion and Yoga. Many intelligent people have been influenced by Bhagavad Gita over the centuries. Not all of them were firm believers of Hinduism either. Bhagavad Gita has actually been a universal scripture that touches people of many different faiths and religions. The translation of the Gita translated by Sir Edwin Arnold (1832-1904) has been one of the most popular and widely respected. Even to this day his translation is widely read and enjoyed around the world as it comes in original form. This edition of the Bhagavad Gita will be liked by first time readers of the Gita and those interested in Hinduism. This edition has an introduction to the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. Many do not know that the Gita is part of the Mahabarata and this edition explains that the Gita is part of the great Epic the Mahabharata. The book also contains an introduction to the characters of the Gita. The chapters Dedication Introduction The Mahabharata The Bhagavad Gita Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna Krishna Characters of the Bhagavad Gita Preface by Sir Edwin Arnold Chapter 1: Of the distress of Arjuna Chapter 2: The book of doctrines Chapter 3: Virtue in work Chapter 4: Of the religion of knowledge Chapter 5: Of religion by renouncing fruit of works Chapter 6: Of religion of self restraint Chapter 7: Of religion by discernment Chapter 8: Of religion by devotion to the one supreme God Chapter 9: Of religion by the kingly knowledge and the kingly mystery Chapter 10: Of religion by the heavenly perfections Chapter 11: Of the manifesting of the one and manifold Chapter 12: Of the religion of faith Chapter 13: Of religion by separation of matter and spirit Chapter 14: Of religion by separation from the qualities Chapter 15: Of religion by attaining the supreme Chapter 16: Of the separateness of the divine and the undivine Chapter 17: Of religion by the threefold kinds of faith Chapter 18: Of religion by deliverance and renunciation