When was भगवद्गीता 'created'?

[Arvind_Kolhatkar]

Dear Group,

This question was obliquely touched in an earlier discussion about the
गीताध्यान स्तोत्र a few months ago but was lost track of in the other
discussion. I am raising it here again as I would like to get a
satisfactory answer to it.

By the word 'created' I do not mean who wrote it or when. The answer
to that question will be the same as the answer to the 'creation' of
महाभारत, of which गीता forms a part.

My question is 'when was गीता distinguished, out of thousands of other
verses and portions of महाभारत, as a separate piece of text,
distilling the essence of Indian Philosophical systems'.

It certainly is known as such from the time शंकराचार्य wrote his भाष्य
on it. In that sense शंकराचार्य would be its 'creator' because the
veneration of गीता started from his period, unless someone else had
done it prior to शंकराचार्य.

Do we know of any other work prior to the भाष्य by शंकराचार्य that had
placed गीता on a pedestal of its own, by distinguishing it as a
important body of verses?

Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, December 29, 2011.

[shankara]

Kolhatkarji,

I would like to share my humble observation in this regard.

It could be safely assumed that the Gita existed as a scripture prior to Sri Sankaracharya based on various comments of the acharya in his Gitabhashya. In the beginning of 3rd chapter, Acharya replies to the views of an opponent who, Anandagiri explains, is an earlier commentator of the Gita. This means that commentaries on the Gita existed even before Sri Sankaracharya, though none of these commentaries have survived till today.

regards
shankara

---

From: Arvind_Kolhatkar <kolhat...@gmail.com>
To: samskrita <sams...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, 29 December 2011 8:45 PM
Subject: [Samskrita] When was भगवद्गीता 'created'?

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[Nityanand Misra]

Much before the commentaries, Rishi Vyasa himself wrote in the महाभारत -

गीता सुगीता कर्तव्या किमन्यैः शास्त्रसंग्रहैः
या स्वयं पद्मनाभस्य मुखपद्माद्विनिःसृता

Lord Krishna in the Gita itself talks about the greatness of Gita from 18.68 to 18.71.

On when it was 'created' [sic] or popularized, Swami Akhandananda Saraswati, one of the greatest exponents of Bhagavata and Gita in the 20th century, considered the question irrelevant since that is like asking what is nectar made of, where does it come from instead of drinking it endlessly. You may want to refer the book दैनिक जीवन में गीता published by on his views on the question of origin of गीता. Published by Sat Sahitya Prakashan Trust and more details on http://anandvrindavan.freeservers.com/custom2.html.

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Nityānanda Miśra
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|| आत्मा तत्त्वमसि श्वेतकेतो ||
(Thou art from/for/of/in That Ātman, O Śvetaketu)
     - Ṛṣi Uddālaka to his son, Chāndogyopaniṣad 6.8.7, The Sāma Veda