The Bhagavad Gita as Vedantic Scripture
The Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord) is the second pillar of the Prasthana Trayi — Shankara's commentary establishes it as a Vedantic text teaching the identity of the individual Self with Brahman.
The Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Lord — 18 chapters, 700 verses) is embedded in the Mahabharata epic but has been treated as an independent Upanishad (Gitopanishad) throughout the Vedantic tradition. Shankara's commentary on the Gita established its interpretation as a text about Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge) as the highest path, with Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga as preparatory practices. Key Advaita teachings in the Gita: Chapter 2 (Sankhya Yoga) — the deathless nature of the Atman; Chapter 13 (Kshetra-Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga) — the distinction between the field (body-mind) and the knower of the field (Atman/Brahman); Chapter 15 (Purushottama Yoga) — the supreme Person who pervades and sustains all; Chapter 18 (Moksha Sannyasa Yoga) — the synthesis and the declaration 'Aham Brahmasmi' in its ethical form: 'I am seated in the heart of all beings.' The Gita's genius is its practical synthesis — addressing the anxious warrior Arjuna's specific situation while delivering the universal teaching of Brahman-Atman identity.
He who sees Me everywhere and everything in Me, will never lose sight of Me, and I will never lose sight of him.
Philosopher Eliot Deutsch's 'The Bhagavad Gita' — one of the finest Western philosophical commentaries — identifies the Gita's central contribution as the integration of the contemplative non-dual recognition (Jnana) with active engagement in the world (Karma) — showing that recognition of Brahman does not require withdrawal from action but transforms the quality of action.
Bhagavad Gita