Bhagavad Gita
/ˌbʱɑːɡəvəd ˈɡiːtə/noun
A sacred Hindu dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna, traditionally forming part of the Mahabharata.
Did you know?The title literally presents Krishna’s teaching as a divine song, while the text’s central revelation describes him as the cosmic being behind creation, destruction, and time itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰag-
“To apportion, share, or assign a portion; the root behind ideas of fortune and divine allotment.”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
bhaga
“A portion, good fortune, or a divine lord who bestows shares and prosperity.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
bhagavat
“Blessed, holy, or possessing divine fortune; an honorific for a revered deity.”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
gītā
“Song; a feminine form derived from the verb meaning “sung.””
2nd–1st Century BCE
Sanskrit
Bhagavad Gītā
“The Song of the Blessed One; the title of the Krishna–Arjuna dialogue within the Mahabharata.”
Modern English
English
Bhagavad Gita
“The commonly used English form of the title of this Hindu sacred text.”