Bhagavad-gītā is the oldest and most widely read book of theistic science in the world today. Also known as the Gītopaniṣad, the Bhagavad-gītā has been the principle handbook of yoga for more than 5,000 years. In contrast to many mundane literatures of the present day, the Bhagavad-gītā is free from mental speculation and is complete in knowledge of the eternal self (ātmā), the process of bhakti-yoga and the nature and identity of the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. As such, the Bhagavad-gītā is the single most important book in the world, surpassing all others in wisdom and enlightenment. The first word of Bhagavad-gītā is dharma. Sometimes dharma is mistaken to mean religion or a particular belief, but it is not so. Dharma means the quintessential duty or knowledge that elevates our consciousness to a direct connection with the Absolute Truth. This is also known as sanātana-dharma, the occupational duty of all living beings. The Bhagavad-gītā begins with the word dharma – thus we can understand from the outset that Bhagavad-gītā is not about dogma or a sectarian way of thinking. Indeed, Bhagavad-gītā is the complete science of realising the Absolute Truth. Bhagavad-gītā is certainly a scholarly work, but one need not be a scholar to understand the Gītā’s straightforward and simple message. Indeed, Arjuna, the first student of Bhagavad-gītā, was not a scholar, but a warrior. In the past many great scholars, gurus and self-realised masters have written illuminating commentaries to accompany the Gītā – its ‘as it is’ meaning, its poetry, philosophy and its hidden treasure – so that the people of their time, as well as the people of future generations, may have a better appreciation of the message of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Since time immemorial, the Bhagavad-gītā has been a prime source of inspiration for many great thinkers and philosophers in both the east and the west. In ancient times, the first commentary on the Gītā was written by Ādi Śaṅkara, who was the first ācārya to treat it as a freestanding text. Subsequently, other great ācāryas such as Rāmānuja, Madhva, Śrīdhara Svāmī and others wrote commentaries on the Gītā that presented its essential devotional significance, in stark contrast to Ādi Śaṅkara’s impersonal interpretation.
Originally, the Bhagavad-gītā is part of the ancient historical epic, the Mahābhārata, composed by the great sage Vyāsa in approximately 3100 BCE. The eighteen chapters of the Bhagavad-gītā are found within the Sixth Canto of the Mahābhārata known as the Bhīṣma-parva, which altogether contains 117 chapters. Initially Vyāsa wrote the 8,800 core verses of the Mahābhārata and later his disciples Vaiśampāyana and Sūta added further historical details until the Mahābhārata finally consisted of 100,000 verses – seven times the size of Homer’s Illiad and fifteen times the size of the King James Bible.

Does anyone else have trouble sticking to a plan or structure with your day? Are some personalities just not wired to be able to do that and is it a bad thing? Just interested in everyone’s feedback.