Why Is The Bhagavadgita Called A Song?
Bhagavadgita Wisdom Index Page
Summary: Find out the true meaning of the Bhagavadgita and why the discourse is called a gita or a song
Notes: I have translated the Bhagavad Gita three times. The first one was a loose translation. The second one was a word-to-word translation in 2013 with detailed commentary. The third attempt was made in 2025, rewriting the 2013 commentary entirely. The writings in this section are different from the commentary I wrote. Here, I intend to share with you, occasionally, my reflections on the knowledge, philosophy, and wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita from a spiritual perspective as a long series. Jayaram V
The word, "Bhagavadgita" can be translated in the following ways.
- Bhagavadgita - the song of God, or Vishnu.
- Bhagavadgita - the song for the servants of God.
- Bhagavadgita - what is declared or stated by God.
Of the above, I have already explained the meaning of the first two, and now I will explain the third. Literally, gita not only means a song or a chant but also what has been told, declared or said. Thus, Bhagavadgita means what has been told, declared or said by Bhagavat or God.
In Hindu tradition the word gita is also used to denote a sacred writing or a religious exposition. Thus, we have many gitas, like Ashtavakra gita, Siva gita, Rama gita, Bhishma gita, etc. Why do we call a sacred writing a gita? It is because these writings are composed according specific meters and they can be sung loudly. The singing reflects the power of speech, vibrations and harmony (rta). The support for speech is space (akasa), which is an aspect of Brahman. Vedic tradition recognizes speech as the most important aspect of a human being, next only to breath, because speech connects people with people, and people with gods. It is through speech that we invoke gods and communicate with the heaven. Through speech you manifest the power of your mind (man). Hence, a sacred chant is also called a mantra (man+tra).
The tradition of singing in Hindu ritual worship began with the Samaveda. Each of the hymns in the Samaveda is called a Saman, which can be sung loudly by the priests. They are sung at the beginning of a ritual, called introductory samans, during the ritual proper and in the end by different priests. The Chandogya Upanishad extols the greatness and symbolism of Samans. The most sacred of these songs are collectively referred as Udgita, the high chant. It is probably from there that the tradition of calling the sacred writings as gita began. The Bhagavadgita is a more elaborate and complex rendition of an earliest form of singing called the Udgita. We may say that the Udgita is the mother of all the gitas.