The Bhagavad Gita

Written By Casandra Kadish

copyright Juan Mascaro; Penguin Books

London, England; 1962

Chronology

“Dating Indian texts is extremely difficult, partly because many of them were continuously copied over long periods. The vagueness of the following scheme reflects this.

  • 3102 BCE : traditional dating of Mahabharata war (discredited)

  • 2500- 1600 BCE : peak of Indus (and Sarasvati) Valley civilization

  • 1500-800 BCE : composition of the Vedic hymns

  • c. 800 BCE : rise of the iron technology in India

  • 800-200 BCE : composition of the major Upanishads

  • 563-483 BCE : life of Buddha

  • 540-468 BCE: life of Mahavira, founder of Jainism

  • 500 BCE-500 CE: compilitation of the Mahabharata, including the Bhagavad Gita

  • 1785 CE: Bhagavad Gita first translated into English, by Charles Wilkins

Chapter 1

Dhirita-Rashtra

  1. On the field of Truth, on the battle-field of life, what came to pass, Sanjaya,

    when my sons and their warriors faced those of my brother Pandu?

2.

Casandra Kadish
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