The Bhagavad Gita
New here? The Gita can be read as a map of four paths to the Divine — follow the one that calls you, then journey through the eighteen chapters further down this page.
The Bhagavad Gita — the "Song of the Lord" — is the best-loved and most widely read of all the scriptures of India, and one of the supreme spiritual texts of humanity. In just 700 verses, set within the great epic of the Mahabharata, it gathers the essence of the Upanishads and the whole science of yoga into a single, luminous dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and his divine charioteer, Krishna.
Every master of the Kriya Yoga lineage — Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda and Yogiraj Gurunath — has revered the Gita as a practical handbook of the inner path.
The setting: a crisis on the battlefield
The Gita opens on the field of Kurukshetra, where two great armies stand ready for a war that will destroy an age. Arjuna asks Krishna to drive his chariot into the space between the armies so he can see those he must fight. There he sees fathers, grandfathers, teachers, cousins and friends arrayed on both sides, and is overcome with grief. He drops his bow and declares he will not fight. Krishna's reply is a complete revelation of the nature of the soul, of action, of devotion, and of God.
The eighteen chapters
The Gita is composed of eighteen chapters, each called a "yoga." Read in sequence, they form a graded path from despair to liberation. Click any chapter to explore it.
The four great paths of yoga
The Gita weaves together four complementary roads to the Divine. Begin with whichever suits your nature:
Dhyana / Raja Yoga
Still the restless mind until the self is absorbed in the Self — the path most directly fulfilled by Kriya Yoga.
Explore →Verses every yogi treasures
“The soul is never born and never dies… it is not slain when the body is slain.”
(2:20)
“You have a right to your actions alone, never to their fruits.”
(2:47)
“Whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness rises, I manifest Myself, age after age.”
(4:7-8)
“Abandon all duties and take refuge in Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sins; do not grieve.”
(18:66)
The inner reading: the Gita as a guide to meditation
The Kriya masters teach that the Gita is, above all, an internal dialogue. The chariot is the body; the horses are the five senses; the reins are the mind; Arjuna is the aspiring devotee; and Krishna is the indwelling Spirit, ready to guide the soul to victory once the seeker hands over the reins. This is exactly the territory of Kriya Yoga, which provides the practical breath-technique by which the life-current is interiorised and the mind grows calm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Bhagavad Gita?
The Bhagavad Gita is a 700-verse dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and Krishna, set within the epic Mahabharata, teaching the paths of yoga and the deathless nature of the Self.
How many chapters and verses are in the Bhagavad Gita?
It has eighteen chapters and about 700 verses.
What are the main paths of yoga in the Gita?
Karma yoga (selfless action), bhakti yoga (devotion) and jnana yoga (knowledge).
Who wrote the Bhagavad Gita?
It is traditionally ascribed to the sage Vyasa and forms part of the Mahabharata.
What is the main message of the Bhagavad Gita?
To act without attachment to results, offering all action to the Divine, and to realise the eternal Self within.