The Sacred Text
Bhagavad Gīṭā (Sanskrit: भगवद्गीता — 'the song of the Lord') is a 700-verse Sanskrit text forming part of the Mahābhārata (Bhīṣma Parva, chapters 23-40). It presents Kṛṣṇa's teachings to the warrior Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra just before the great war.
Sri Vaishnava Reading
In the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition, the Gīṭā is read through Rāmānuja's Gīṭā Bhāṣyam — which interprets the text in Viśiṣṭādvaita terms:
- Kṛṣṇa = Śrīman Nārāyaṇa in His vibhava-avatāra form
- The Gīṭā's three paths (karma, jñāna, bhakti yoga) are understood within the Viśiṣṭādvaita framework
- The carama-śloka (18.66) is the Gīṭā's ultimate teaching: abandon all upāyas and take refuge in the Lord alone
The Climax in Charama Sloka
All 18 chapters of the Gīṭā build toward chapter 18, verse 66 — the carama-śloka. For Śrī Vaiṣṇavas, this verse is the Gīṭā's heart: after exhaustively teaching karma, jñāna, and bhakti yoga, the Lord reveals the supreme and most accessible path: 'Abandon all dharmas and come to Me alone.'
Place in the Rahasya System
The three great pramāṇas (authorities) of Viśiṣṭādvaita are the Prasthāna-trayam: Upaniṣads (śruti), Brahma Sūtras (sūtras), and Bhagavad Gīṭā (smṛti). Rāmānuja wrote commentaries on all three. The Gīṭā is especially accessible because it contains the Lord's direct voice — teaching to a human in a human situation.