Vāṇi

Kathā

Kathā: stories from the Gītā

Five ways into the Gītā, one short film at a time.

Kathā is where the stories of the Gītā are gathered. There are 66 short films in five series, and every film sends you to the verse it comes from. Kṣetra counts the text. Āṅgan finds it in daily Indian life. Praśna asks the questions Arjuna asked first. Pātra meets the people in it. Śabda traces the words you already say.

To use it, start with the series that fits what you are curious about, or scan the lists below, which give every story as a plain link with the line its film opens on. Each story page has the film, the story, the verses in Sanskrit, transliteration and English, a short count computed from the text, and a paragraph called Going deeper that sets the verse in its place.

Every one of the 700 verses is free to read at getvani.app/gita, with no account needed. If you have a question of your own, the Ask block below the series cards lets you put it to Samvāda, which answers from the verses and shows you which one.

Kṣetra: The Gītā, counted.

  1. Kṣetra No. 1 Set it downThe Gītā opens on dharma. 687 verses later, Kṛṣṇa says, let it go.
  2. Kṣetra No. 2 The last wordsKṛṣṇa's last words in the Gītā are two questions. Not an order.
  3. Kṣetra No. 3 Two me'sThe Gītā's hero begins by giving up. Then Kṛṣṇa answers with the same word.
  4. Kṣetra No. 4 The infinite goes quietArjuna finally sees who Kṛṣṇa is. Kṛṣṇa goes quiet. Arjuna can't stop talking.
  5. Kṣetra No. 5 Awe made his verses longerWhen Arjuna saw the infinite, his verses got longer. You can count it.
  6. Kṣetra No. 6 Cured twiceArjuna was cured of his confusion twice. The first cure didn't hold.
  7. Kṣetra No. 7 Joy and terrorIn one breath, Arjuna is delighted and afraid. And he asks for the same thing twice.
  8. Kṣetra No. 8 The secret already saidKṛṣṇa saves his greatest secret for last. Then he repeats himself.
  9. Kṣetra No. 9 Not the endThe Gītā's most famous verse isn't the end. What Kṛṣṇa says next is about you.
  10. Kṣetra No. 10 Non-violence in a war bookThe Gītā is a war book that keeps saying ahiṁsā. Non-violence.
  11. Kṣetra No. 11 Devotee and friendThe Gītā wasn't given to a sage. It was given to a friend. Kṛṣṇa says so himself.
  12. Kṣetra No. 12 The centreThe exact middle of the Gītā is a choice. Between verse 350 and 351.
  13. Kṣetra No. 13 One tear, one smileThe Gītā has one tear and one smile. Nine verses apart.
  14. Kṣetra No. 14 GoosebumpsThree moments in the Gītā give goosebumps. Fear. Awe. A story.
  15. Kṣetra No. 15 The gamblerKṛṣṇa says he is the gambling. Of cheats.
  16. Kṣetra No. 16 Sorry, friendAfter seeing God, Arjuna says sorry. To his friend.
  17. Kṣetra No. 17 Grieve notKṛṣṇa's first lesson is about grief. So is his last instruction.
  18. Kṣetra No. 18 The last wordKṛṣṇa doesn't have the last word in the Gītā. The narrator does.

Āṅgan: The Gītā in daily Indian life.

  1. Āṅgan No. 1 The lamp insideEvery Diwali, you light a diya at the door. Kṛṣṇa says he lights one inside you.
  2. Āṅgan No. 2 Touch the skyThe Air Force motto is from the Gītā. Arjuna said it while shaking with fear.
  3. Āṅgan No. 3 Baasi khanaNani's rules about baasi khana? They're in the Gītā.
  4. Āṅgan No. 4 The office posterThis verse hangs in every Indian office. Almost everyone stops reading halfway.
  5. Āṅgan No. 5 Before you eatMany families say a prayer before eating. It's a verse from the Gītā.
  6. Āṅgan No. 6 Ganga jalEvery Indian home keeps a little Ganga jal. Kṛṣṇa says: of rivers, I am the Ganga.
  7. Āṅgan No. 7 DhanterasOn Dhanteras, India buys gold. Kṛṣṇa says the wise see it as a stone.
  8. Āṅgan No. 8 Extra mirchiExtra mirchi? The Gītā has an opinion.
  9. Āṅgan No. 9 Horn OK PleaseEvery honk in Indian traffic is a Gītā verse in eight steps.
  10. Āṅgan No. 10 The shankhEvery aarti begins with a shankh. So does the Gītā.
  11. Āṅgan No. 11 The first yoga matYour yoga mat is in the Gītā. With instructions.
  12. Āṅgan No. 12 Mummy was rightEat properly. Sleep on time. Kṛṣṇa said it before Mummy did.

Praśna: Arjuna asked it first.

  1. Praśna No. 1 Why can't I focusEven Arjuna couldn't focus.
  2. Praśna No. 2 What if I try and failTrying is never wasted.
  3. Praśna No. 3 Why do I do things I know are bad for meNot weakness. An enemy you can name.
  4. Praśna No. 4 How do calm people behaveCalm isn't a posture. It's being content.
  5. Praśna No. 5 Should I quitBoth paths lead somewhere. Doing goes further.
  6. Praśna No. 6 What is the point of workingWithout action, you can't even keep your body alive.
  7. Praśna No. 7 How do I know what is rightThe Gītā begins with “I don't know.”
  8. Praśna No. 8 How to stand up to familyThe whole Gītā is Kṛṣṇa's answer.
  9. Praśna No. 9 Do we live more than onceYou've been here before. He remembers.
  10. Praśna No. 10 What happens when we dieWhat you remember is where you go.
  11. Praśna No. 11 Should I pray to a form or the formlessArjuna asked it 5,000 years ago.
  12. Praśna No. 12 Difference between giving up and letting goGiving up is one thing. Letting go is another.

Pātra: The people of the Gītā.

  1. Pātra No. 1 Hanumān is in the GītāHanumān is in the Gītā.
  2. Pātra No. 2 The studentDuryodhana's first words are to his teacher.
  3. Pātra No. 3 The first live commentarySañjaya was miles from the war.
  4. Pātra No. 4 The author in his own bookKṛṣṇa lists who he is.
  5. Pātra No. 5 The blind king's questionThe Gītā begins with a blind king's question.
  6. Pātra No. 6 The grandfather's roarBefore the battle, the eldest roars.
  7. Pātra No. 7 Conqueror of sleepKṛṣṇa has a nickname for Arjuna.
  8. Pātra No. 8 Wolf-bellyThe strongest man on the field…
  9. Pātra No. 9 The bow slipsThe greatest archer alive.
  10. Pātra No. 10 NāradaThe wandering sage with the vīṇā.
  11. Pātra No. 11 PrahlādaThe boy from the Holi story.
  12. Pātra No. 12 Airāvata and KāmadhenuIndra's white elephant.

Śabda: Words you already know.

  1. Śabda No. 1 PrasādaYou take it at the temple.
  2. Śabda No. 2 YogaYou think it is a pose.
  3. Śabda No. 3 KarmaEveryone says it.
  4. Śabda No. 4 ŚraddhāIt means faith.
  5. Śabda No. 5 SvadharmaYour own path.
  6. Śabda No. 6 SattvaSāttvik food. Tāmasik mood.
  7. Śabda No. 7 ĀtmāYour own best friend.
  8. Śabda No. 8 GuruWe use it for any expert.
  9. Śabda No. 9 TitikṣāEndurance.
  10. Śabda No. 10 ŚāntiOm śānti śānti śāntiḥ.
  11. Śabda No. 11 BhaktiDevotion.
  12. Śabda No. 12 NamasteYou say it every day.

Ask the Gītā your own question.

Arjuna asked his. Samvāda answers yours with the Gītā's own verses.

Samvāda is software, an AI companion tuned to the Bhagavad Gītā. It is not a person. It answers from the verse and shows you which one, and it never pretends to be Kṛṣṇa.

Try a few questions free