The Bhagavad Gita Introduction
Indeed, the Gita speaks of itself as a yoga-shastra, or yogic teaching, restating ancient truths. – Georg Feuerstein The Bhagavad Gita has been translated as the Lord’s Song, Song of the Spirit, the Song of God and the Song of the Beloved Lord. Often simply called “the Gita,” it is a portion of the Mahabharata, an epic poem containing 18 books and approximately 100,000 verses. The Mahabharata is said to have been authored by the illumined sage Vyasa. The Gita is 700 verses and forms 18 chapters (23 through 40) of the sixth book. “It stands out among the holy books of the major world religions, for its flowing Sanskrit verses present a uniquely vivid portrait of the intimacy between humanity and divinity. Indeed, this divine intimacy is revealed in the form of a dialogue that takes the soul on an inward journey culminating in the ultimate state of yoga, in which souls unite with the heart of God.” – Graham M. Schweig Key Yoga Text, Revered Throughout the World Distinguished scholars explain that the Gita is the book on yoga par excellence and the first full-fledged Yoga scripture.
