Text, translation
& sources.

A clear distinction.

The Sanskrit is the ancient text. The English translations and chapter companions are original King of Dwarka editorial work. The commentary explains a reading; it does not claim to be scripture or the only possible interpretation.

Every verse has been collated against classical textual witnesses; material differences and numbering conventions have been reviewed. The sources linked beside it allow readers to examine an edition in context. Material interpretive differences are identified in reading notes and selected “Explore deeper” commentary.

Textual witnesses.

• Bhagavadgita.eu · External. A scholarly Sanskrit, grammar, and commentarial resource based on the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute critical Mahabharata text edited by S. K. Belvalkar. Used for full-text collation, word relationships, and textual variants. Its modern analysis is consulted, not copied as our translation.
• Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Vedabase / Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. An established devotional edition, consulted for Sanskrit, transliteration, reference and context. Its modern translation and commentary are not reproduced here.
• Sanskrit Documents: Bhagavad Gita. A classical-text witness, including traditional chapter colophons. Its digital edition is consulted, not redistributed as a complete source file.
• Bhagavad Gita, Swami Mukundananda. A further edition used to corroborate verse counts, chapter names and selected textual variants. Its modern translation and commentary remain with their publisher.

How the words are presented.

Devanagari remains live text in the existing Tiro Devanagari Sanskrit typeface. Typography is normalised for visarga, punctuation and invisible joining characters. Verse lines remain intact; responsive wrapping never changes their order. Transliteration uses IAST, with ṃ for anusvāra and clear word divisions. Speaker labels are editorially displayed apart from the verse.

Original English seeks to preserve the sense of the Sanskrit without pretending that every word has one exact English equivalent. Terms such as dharma, self, yoga and relinquishment require context. Important choices and ambiguities are discussed beside the passage.

In 3.19 the displayed spelling follows the corroborated pūruṣaḥ reading. In 6.26 we use niścarati; another edition prints niścalati. In 12.20 we use dharmyāmṛtam; another prints dharmāmṛtam. In 18.66 tvāṃ is retained, while the second witness has tvā. These differences are identified rather than silently erased.

Eighteen chapters.

The Sanskrit titles follow traditional chapter naming, with conventional variants identified. The English titles are editorial invitations, not claims of literal equivalence. Chapter 5 also appears as Sannyāsa-yoga; Chapter 6 as Ātmasaṃyama-yoga. The latter is presented here under the familiar Dhyāna-yoga title.

Chapter 13 follows the 35-verse numbering that includes Arjuna’s opening question. Editions that omit or leave that question unnumbered have 34. Our 13.2 is therefore 13.1 in 34-verse editions, with subsequent references one lower. The complete total is 701 here rather than 700. Some editions also divide the half-verses around Arjuna’s opening speech in Chapter 1 differently, without a loss of text.

Full chapters and rights.

All eighteen chapters of the ancient Sanskrit text are independently typeset here with original King of Dwarka English. No complete modern translation, publisher’s commentary, source-site design or edition file is copied into this experience. The primary full-chapter reading stays on this website. Optional external sources open under their publishers’ own terms.

This reading contains 701 numbered verses, including Arjuna’s opening question in Chapter 13. It includes all eighteen complete companions. No audio is included.