Krishna Reveals the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra
The Bhagavad Gita, loosely translated as "Song of God" describes the dialog between the Pandava prince, Arjuna and his maternal cousin, Krishna, who is Himself the Poornavatara of Lord Maha Vishnu. A confused Arjuna refuses to raise arms against his kith and kin on the opposite side of the battlefield saying he would rather beg for a living than obtain a kingdom after slaying all his kinsmen.
What follows is a lengthy discussion between Krishna and Arjuna on Dharma (righteousness) and Karma (duty) with the ultimate moral that the abandonment of one's duty, no matter how attractive, is sinful. Various other topics are also discussed in the Gita, such as Varnashrama Dharma, paths to salvation, duty of women, etc. If trying to study the Bhagavad Gita for its meaning, the Bhagavad Gita audio series by Swami Chinmayananda or that by the evergreen Balakrishna Shastrigal is recommended. This page contains a download all verses of the Bhagavad Gita, which are in Sanskrit format with either a large font (Sanskrit) or normal font (Sanskrit with English transliteration).