Bhagavadgita (Dover Thrift Editions)
(Sanskrit: "Song of the Lord") One of the greatest and most beautiful of the Hindu scriptures. It forms part of Book VI of the Indian epic the Mahabharata ("Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty") and is written in the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince Arjuna and his friend and charioteer, Krishna, who is also an earthly incarnation of the god Vishnu.The Bhagavadgitais of a later date than the major parts of the Mahabharata and was probably written in the 1st or 2nd century AD. The poem consists of 700 Sanskrit verses divided into 18 chapters.  The dialogue takes place on the field of battle, just as the great war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas is about to begin. The two armies stand opposing each other, and, on seeing many of his friends and kinsmen among those lined up on the other side, Prince Arjuna hesitates. He considers whether it would not be better to throw down his arms and allow himself to be slain rather than to engage in a just, but cruel, war. Krishna points out to him that the higher way is the dispassionate discharge of his duty, performed with faith in God.The Bhagavadgitagoes far beyond the ethical question with which it begins, to consider broadly the nature of God and the means by which mortals can know him.   --The Merriam-Webster Encylopedia of Literature