BHAGAVAD GITA (Sanskrit - English)

In the Udyoga Parva of the Mahabharata, Krishna attempts at an arbitration for reconciliation between the Pandus and the Kurus which fails. A battle between the two is now set to happen as it is the only way out. Both the Pandus and the Kurus seek Krishna’s presence as an ally in the battle on their respective sides. Krishna promptly refuses as both are related to him. Instead, he agrees to become Arjuna’s charioteer. Blessed with a divine vision, Sanjaya can see what is going on in the battlefield. Upon being asked, he narrates to Dhritrashtra, the blind king, of how the battle unfolds on the ground. He begins with a description of the majestically positioned armies on both the sides, to engage with one another as it the very purpose for which they have gathered. Sanjaya gradually proceeds to describe the predicament Arjuna faces in wake of the battle when he sees he near and dear ones, alongside his enemies in the battlefield. Apparently overwhelmed by emotions, he deviates from his purpose. As he speaks to Krishna, his charioteer, he sounds unsure of his course of action in face of this dilemma, for the ones he has to fight and slay, or be slayed by them, also include those dear to him and related to him. Shaken to the core, it is at this juncture that he faces the question of human existence and action. With no answers from within, he directs his questions to Krishna, who gives him wise counsel, through which the whole exposition of the Bhagavad Gita takes place. Every chapter begins with the moola shloka (original verse) in Sanskrit, followed by its transliteration in English along with the diacritical marks, and finally the transtexted version of the shloka (verse) in English.