The Śrī Bhagavad Gītā ('Song of the Lord') is one of the three foundational texts (prasthāna-traya) of Vedānta, alongside the Upaniṣads and the Brahmasūtras. It constitutes chapters 25–42 of the Bhīṣmaparva of the Mahābhārata, presented as the divine dialogue spoken by Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa to the warrior Arjuna on the morning of the Kurukṣetra battle. Its 18 chapters and 700 verses encompass the teachings on karma, jñāna, and bhakti yoga, as well as the metaphysical doctrines of ātmā, paramātmā, prakṛti, and mokṣa.
In the Viśiṣṭādvaita tradition, the Gītā holds supreme scriptural authority as smṛti — a text whose validity derives from being grounded in Vedic śruti. Śrī Rāmānuja's Gītā Bhāṣyam is his principal commentary on it, interpreting every key verse through the Viśiṣṭādvaita lens. He reads the Gītā's culminating teaching as the progressive instruction from karma yoga through jñāna yoga to bhakti yoga, and finally to prapatti — the path of utter surrender accessible to those who cannot sustain the demanding disciplines of the earlier yogas.
For Śrī Vaishnava theology, the paramount significance of the Gītā lies in its 18th chapter's conclusion — specifically verses 18.64–18.66, known as the Carama Śloka (the final/ultimate verse). The Carama Śloka (sarvadharmmān parityajya mām ekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja / ahaṃ tvā sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ) is considered the direct instruction of Bhagavān commanding prapatti and assuring liberation. It forms the third of the three rahasyams alongside the Tirumantram and the Dvayam.
The occasion for the Gītā's teaching — Arjuna's śōka (grief) on seeing his kinsmen arrayed for battle — is itself theologically significant. Arjuna's confusion and despair represent the baddha-jīva's fundamental predicament, and Kṛṣṇa's compassionate, comprehensive response embodies Bhagavān's role as the Ācārya of ācāryas and the supreme Śeṣī who instructs His śeṣas in the path to liberation.