2 h 19 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 2 h 19 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
How do you act when every choice seems to cost something dear?
Two armies stand ready, and Arjuna will not fight. The Pandava archer asks his charioteer, Krishna, to drive between them so he can see whom he must face. Here, within the Mahabharata, a battlefield becomes the setting for a poem about duty, doubt, and the courage to act.
In The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ, Edwin Arnold presents this spiritual dialogue in flowing verse. Krishna, whom Hindu tradition honors as a form of God, teaches Arjuna about action, devotion, and an eternal self. Across eighteen chapters, their conversation explores how to act well without clinging to results.
What you’ll discover
- A warrior at the crossroads Stand beside Arjuna as the sight of those he must fight brings him to a halt.
- The way of action Explore karma yoga through Krishna's teaching on doing your duty and letting go of results.
- A self beyond death Consider the poem's teaching that the true self has neither birth nor death.
- Devotion and divine vision Follow the dialogue from discipline toward love as Krishna reveals his divine form.
- The qualities of nature Encounter the three gunas, which Krishna describes as qualities that bind all beings.
Who will love it
Readers who love questions of conscience, duty and meaning will find a companion here. It suits anyone curious about Indian thought, the roots of yoga, or how to act well under pressure.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A talk on a battlefield frames the poem
- Arjuna collapses between the two armies
- The true self cannot be killed or lost
- Act fully but let go of the results
- Knowledge, renunciation and meditation work together
- One source stands behind everything that exists
- Arjuna sees the whole universe in one form
- Devotion, the three qualities and the final surrender
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The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ
by Edwin Arnold
Arjuna drops his bow between two armies, and his charioteer Krishna starts to teach him about the soul.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Two armies stand ready on the plain of Kurukshetra, and conches roar and drums pound. On a shining chariot rides the great bowman Arjuna, with Krishna holding the reins.
The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 25 min1 h 10 min fast, 1 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 20,500 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A talk on a battlefield frames the poem
The poem opens with a blind king, Dhritirashtra, who asks his storyteller Sanjaya what is happening on the sacred plain of Kurukshetra. Sanjaya answers by telling what he sees. Everything that follows, including the great talk between Arjuna and Krishna, reaches the king through his voice.
The scene belongs to a war inside one royal family. The five Pandava brothers face their cousins, led by Duryodhana.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 1 h 30 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Arnold, Edwin. The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-song-celestial-or-bhagavad-gita.
Arnold, E. (2026). The song celestial; or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-song-celestial-or-bhagavad-gita
Arnold, Edwin. The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-song-celestial-or-bhagavad-gita.
@book{arnold2026song,
author = {Arnold, Edwin},
title = {The Song Celestial; Or, Bhagavad-Gîtâ},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-song-celestial-or-bhagavad-gita}
}
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What is the Bhagavad Gita about?
It is a conversation on a battlefield. Prince Arjuna, heartsick at fighting his own relatives, asks Krishna what he should do, and Krishna teaches him about the eternal self, selfless action, knowledge, meditation and loving devotion.
Who are Krishna and Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita?
Arjuna is a Pandava prince and a famous archer. Krishna is his friend and charioteer, and the poem shows him to be God in human form, who teaches Arjuna and lets him see his true shape.
What does yoga mean in the Bhagavad Gita?
Yoga means union or discipline, a way of joining the self with the divine. The poem describes several paths: action without clinging, knowledge, meditation and devotion. It calls evenness of mind in success and failure yoga itself.
The author
Edwin Arnold
1832–1904 · English poet and journalist
Sir Edwin Arnold (1832–1904) was an English poet and journalist. He was born in Gravesend and died in London. He lived in England, India and Japan, and worked for the Daily Telegraph. He published The Light of Asia in 1879 and The Song Celestial, a translation of the Bhagavad Gita, in 1885.
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