The Bhagavad Gita is a poetry composed in Sanskrit. Its 700 lines are organized in many old Indian poetry meters, the most important of which is the shloka (Anushtubh chanda). The text is also known as "Saraswati's Song" after its main female speaker. It is believed to have been written by Krishna when he was on Earth to teach peace to his friend Arjuna who had been given a choice between war and peace. It is therefore also called "Krishna's Counsel". The poem describes the cosmic battle that takes place within every human being between kindness and hatred, truth and deceit, good and evil. It tells how everyone can win this battle if they follow what is right instead of doing what is wrong. Thus the message of the gita is about non-violence and yoga. Today it is one of the most influential texts in India and is read by many people all over the world. The gita has been praised by great thinkers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela. It is now considered to be one of the greatest works of philosophy and religion in the Hindi language. Sanskrit is the ancient language in which the gita is written.