The Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita (Sanskrit for "Song of the Lord") is the most famous poem in all of Hindu literature and part of the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic. The Gita consists of a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Prince Arjuna on the morning of a climactic battle. Krishna provides Prince Arjuna with the spiritual means to take action under trying circumstances. Of course, the larger canvas painted in the poetry is that of the moral universe of Hinduism. As the late noted teacher and scholar Eknath Easwaran writes in the preface, "The Gita does not present a system of philosophy. It offers something to every seeker after God, of whatever temperament, by whatever path. The reason for this universal appeal is that it is basically practical: it is a handbook for Self-realization and a guide to action".