Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Bhagavad Gita summary
Vyasa
Explore the Timeless Wisdom of This Hindu Scripture
21 mins
Brief summary
The Bhagavad Gita is a sacred Indian text that conveys a conversation between Prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna. It offers profound wisdom on duty, morality, and the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
Table of Contents
The Bhagavad Gita
Summary of 5 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 5
The struggle for the kingdom of Bharata
The battlefield that Arjuna surveys at the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita is called Kurukshetra, about a hundred miles north of today’s New Delhi. It is, in short, a real place. But its geography is secondary. As Gandhi put it in the twentieth century, Kurukshetra is located in every human soul, for it is there that the eternal battle of good and evil is fought.
That is indeed the more significant battlefield in the Bhagavad Gita, but we need some context before we get to that. Although it stands alone, the work recounts one episode of a larger story. That story is told in the 200,000-verse epic known as the Mahabharata, which recounts the civil war in the ancient kingdom of Bharata in today’s northern India.
It starts with the death of Bharata’s king. Two camps form around his potential successors. On one side is the king’s younger brother, Pandu; on the other, his older brother, Dhritarashtra, who assumes the throne despite his blindness – a condition Pandu’s supporters argue should disqualify him. In the ensuing struggle, the followers of Pandu, known as Pandavas, are exiled for thirteen years. When they return to stake their claim to the throne, war breaks out.
Both camps rush to assemble allies across India, and both court Krishna, the ruler of a kingdom with links to both sides. Krishna, an enlightened monarch who cherishes fairness, says he’ll serve the Pandavas personally, but send his armies to fight for their enemies. Vowing not to touch a weapon, he acts as the charioteer for his friend, Arjuna, the Pandavas’ greatest warrior.
Arjuna never doubted the righteousness of the Pandavas’ cause – until the day of the battle. After telling Krishna to steer the chariot into the no-man’s land between the two armies, he’s overcome by the momentousness of what lies ahead – the bloody conclusion to a fratricidal civil war. “Oh, what a crime we are about to commit,” he says, “from our desire to enjoy kingship, we are ready to kill our kinsmen.”
His taste for battle gone, he throws aside his bow and slumps into the chariot.
If the Pandavas are to triumph, they need Arjuna, so Krishna tries to persuade him to take up his arms again. He succeeds: when we take our leave of Arjuna at the end of the Bhagavad Gita, we see him joining the battle. But the hundreds of lines of verse spoken by Krishna before that add up to much more than an ad-hoc pep talk for a doubtful soldier.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Bhagavad Gita?
Key ideas in The Bhagavad Gita
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Bhagavad Gita about?
The Bhagavad Gita is a self-contained episode of the Mahabharata, an epic poem about the devastating rivalry between two clans for control of the kingdom of Bharata in ancient India. Composed around the third century BCE, the 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita explore questions of social and religious duty, the nature of human action, and our relationship to God. For many readers, scholars, and believers, it is the quintessential religious text in Hinduism.
The Bhagavad Gita Review
The Bhagavad Gita is a timeless philosophical text that offers profound insights into life's big questions. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It presents ageless wisdom that provides guidance on finding purpose and achieving spiritual fulfillment.
- Combining ancient teachings with practical advice, it offers practical ways to navigate life's challenges and achieve inner peace.
- With its courageous exploration of moral dilemmas, it sparks introspection and encourages readers to reflect on their own values.
Who should read The Bhagavad Gita?
- Seekers exploring Eastern spirituality
- History buffs interested in India and its religions
- Curious minds open to ancient insights
Categories with The Bhagavad Gita
Book summaries like The Bhagavad Gita
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
33 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
The Bhagavad Gita FAQs
What is the main message of The Bhagavad Gita?
The main message of The Bhagavad Gita is finding one's duty and understanding the path to self-realization.
How long does it take to read The Bhagavad Gita?
The estimated reading time for The Bhagavad Gita varies, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Bhagavad Gita a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Bhagavad Gita is worth reading for its profound insights on life, spirituality, and personal growth. It offers valuable wisdom for navigating challenges.
Who is the author of The Bhagavad Gita?
The author of The Bhagavad Gita is Vyasa.
What to read after The Bhagavad Gita?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Bhagavad Gita, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need by Joanna Martine Woolfolk
- Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn
- The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra
- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
- Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
- Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson
- Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond