Bhagavad Gita or The Divine Song Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Bhagavad Gita or The Divine Song - Essay Example A majority of the sacred texts or scriptures have been composed in the Sanskrit language and are commonly classified into two classes, Sruti and Smriti. Sruti means that which has been heard. Vedas which are the earliest record of the Hindu scriptures belong to this class. Hindu texts other than the Shrutis are collectively called the Smritis which means "memory". The most notable among the Smritis are the epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata can be considered as belonging to the Smriti class. On the other hand, many consider Gita as a Sruti because its contents are quite ancient and have been taken from the Upanishads. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita is also known as the Gitopanishad. Incidentally, in Ch. 4 of the Gita there is a mention about the knowledge in the Gita being very ancient and traditionally being transmitted orally, implying that Gita is a Sruti. The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most sacred scriptures and for Hindus, it is an authoritative work on the fundamental philosophy of Hinduism. Scriptures can be defined as texts that are considered sacred by religions and are of central importance to religions. Many religions believe that scriptures are texts that have been inspired by the divine. Bhagavad Gita is a scripture if you consider these parameters. It is sacred to the Hindus; it is an inspirational dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna. It is central to Hindu philosophy. The Gita has two main topics: yoga-sastra and brahma-vidya.