Bhagavad Gītā

“Song of the Lord.” Dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, embedded in the Mahābhārata (chapters 25–42 of book VI). Composed approximately in the 5th century BCE, it is the most influential text of yoga and Indian philosophy.

Seven hundred verses synthesizing the three paths of yoga: karma-yoga (selfless action), bhakti-yoga (devotion), and jñāna-yoga (knowledge). The Gītā does not present these paths as exclusive but as complementary dimensions of a single realization.

Its central message: act without attachment to results, recognize the immortal Self beyond the body, and surrender to divine will.