4

We all know about Srimad Bhagavad Gita. Naively, I thought this was the only Gita we have.

But, to my surprise, yesterday I found "The Song of the Goddess - Devi Gita". This is basically the last 10 chapters (31-40) of the 7th Canto of the Devi Bhagavad Purana. This is a canonical Sakta text. But, I guess it is not as popular as Srimad Bhagavad Gita.

The question that bugs me since then is, do we have many more Gitas? Exactly how many Gitas we have? Is it that each denomination in Hinduism has its own Gita? Can someone list the name of all the Gitas along with short descriptions (if possible)?

7
  • 1
    There is the ashtavakra gita. The Ashtavakra Gita or Song of Ashtavakra is a classical text in the Advaita Vedanta tradition in the form of a dialogue between the sage Ashtavakra and Janaka, king of Mithila. Then there is the Uddhav Gita, spoken by Krishna to Uddhav before departing from this world. Dec 2, 2021 at 6:44
  • 1
    There are many other Gitas - Anugita (Mahabharata itself), Shiva Gita (some version of Padma Purāṇa I think), Devi Gita (Devi Bhagavatam), Brahma Gita (Skanda Purāṇa describes Brahman), as many as 5 Gitas in the Srimad Bhagavatam itself, Rama Gita (Adhyatma Ramayanam not from the Purāṇa). More than sampradayik in nature, these are from the entire corpus of the Puranas by Vyasa; for the purpose of understanding Brahman. The Brahma Gita in Skanda Purāṇa is supposed to be very significant because it helps in understanding the Aitareya Upanishad better (I’ve not read any so can’t comment on this)
    – Adiyarkku
    Dec 2, 2021 at 6:54
  • 1
    On this page they have listed around 30 gitas that are found in various Hindu scriptures (mostly in Puranas).
    – Rickross
    Dec 2, 2021 at 6:56
  • @Adiyarkku ... Does this Brahma Gita taken from Skanda purana describes the four-headed deity brahma or the nirguna nirakara Brahman? Thnx. Dec 2, 2021 at 8:00
  • 4
    Well, there are many Gitas, but none of them brought attention of so many scholars, commentators, and learned men, and people in general, public, as Bhagavad gita did. Thus Bhagavad gita was and stays to be most famous of them all, and most influential among them all as well. That's for sure. Dec 2, 2021 at 13:24

2 Answers 2

8

Although 'the Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā' of the Bhīṣma Parva in the Mahābhārata remains by far the most popular, nonetheless, there are umpteen Gītās - some of which are well-known, and other's might be never heard of.


Here, I'm compiling a tabular compilation list of various Gītās from different sources.





  • Vaiṣṇava Sect

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Śrīmada Bhagavada Gītā Mahābhārata Krṣṇa (Viṣṇu) Arjuna Kavi Gītā
Hari Gītā
Viṣṇu Gītā
Krṣṇa Gita
Sanskrit: 1, 2
English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2
All Three
2. Uttara Gītā Mahābhārata
(Aśvemedha Parva)
Krṣṇa Arjuna - Sanskrit: 1, 2
English: 1
Hindi: 1
3. Arjunopākhyāna Yoga Vāsiṣṭha (Nirvāṇa Prakaraṇa)
(Purvārdha): Sargas 52 to 58
Krṣṇa
[Vasiṣṭha]
Arjuna
[Rāma]
- Sanskrit: 1
English: 1:
Hindi: 1
4. Anu Gītā Mahābhārata (Aśvemedhika Parva) Krṣṇa Arjuna - Sanskrit: 1
English: 1, 2, 3
Hindi: 1, 2
5. Śrī Viṣṇu Gītā Independent Work Viṣṇu All other deities - Hindi: 1
6. Vaiṣṇava Gītā Independent Work Krṣṇa Arjuna - -
7. Śrī Rāma Gītā -1 Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa Śrī Rāma
(Siva)
Laksmana
(Parvati)
- Sanskrit: 1
English: 1,
Hindi: 1, 2
8. Śrī Rāma Gītā -2 Tattvasaṁgraha
(by Ṛṣi Vasiṣṭha)
Śrī Rāma Hanumāna - Hindi - 1
9. Śrī Rāma Gītā -3 Skanda Purāṇa
(saṁhitā version)
Śukadeva Sanatkumar - Unavailable
10. Śrī Rāma Gītā -4 Adbhuta Rāmāyaṇa Śrī Rāma Hanumāna - Sanskrit: 1
English: 1,
Hindi: 1, 2


  • Śaiva Sect:

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Śiva Gītā Padma Purāṇa
(non-extant version)
Śiva (Rudra) Śrī Rāma - Sanskrit: 1,
English: 1
Hindi: 1, 2
2. Īśvara Gītā Kurma Purāṇa Śiva Various Deities - Sanskrit: 1
English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2
3. Rudra Gītā - 1 Srimada Bhagvatama Purāṇa Rudra (Śiva) Pracehtas - Sanskrit: 1, 2
English: 1, 2, 3
Hindi: 1, 2
4. Rudra Gītā - 2 Varaha Purāṇa Rudra (Śiva) Mahaṛṣi Agastya - Sanskrit: 1
English: 1
Hindi: 1
5. Brahma Gītā Skanda Purāṇa
(Sūta Sahiṃtā)
Brahmā Various deities - Sanskrit: 1
6. Sūta Gītā Skanda Purāṇa
(Sūta Sahiṃtā)
Sūta Various Sages - Sanskrit :1
7. Śrī Śhambhu Gītā Independent work Sadaśiva
(Vyāsa)
Pitṛs
(Sūta)
- Hindi: 1



  • Śakta Sect

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Devī Gītā Devī Bhāgvata Purāṇa Ādi Śakti Himāvana - Sanskrit: 1, 2
English: 1 2
Hindi: 1, 2
2. Saptaśatī Gītā Mārkanḍeya Purāṇa Medha Muni King Surath Devī Māhātmyam
Śrī Canḍī
Gāthā Saptaśatī
Sanskrit: 1
English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2, 3
3. Śrī Bhagavatī Gītā MahāBhāgvata Purāṇa
(An Upa-Purāṇa )
Ādi Śakti
[Mahādeva]
Himāvana
[Nārada]
Pārvatī Gītā
Gaṅgopākhyāna
English: 1
Hindi: 1 2, 3
4. Śrī Śakti Gītā Independent Work Devī
(Vyāsa)
Various deities
(Sūta)
- Hindi: 1



  • Gāṇapatya Sect

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Gaṇeśa Gītā Gaṇeśa Purāṇa Bhagvān Gaṇeśa Himāvana - Sanskrit: 1, 2
English: 1
Hindi: 1, 2, 3
2. Dhīśa Gītā Independent Work Gaṇeśa
(Vyasa)
Various sages
(Suta)
- Sanskrit:1
English
Hindi: 1, 2



  • Saura Sect

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Sūrya Gītā - 1 Guru-jñāna-vāsiṣṭha
Tattva-sārāyaṇa
Karmakāṇḍa
Bhagvān Sūrya
[Dakṣiṇāmūrti]
Aruṇa (sārathī)
[Brahmā]
- Sanskrit: 1
English: 1
Hindi:
2. Sūrya Gītā - 2 Independent Work Bhagvān Sūrya
[Vyāsa]
Saptarṣi
[Sūta]
- Hindi: 1



  • Advaita-Vedānta

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Avadhuta Gītā Independent work Bhagvān Dattātreya - Datta-Gītā
Advaita Gītā
Sanskrit: 1, 2, 3
English: 1, 2, 3
Hindi: 1, 2, 3
2. Aṣtāvakra Gītā Independent Work Ṛṣi Aṣtāvakra King Janaka - Sṅkṛt: 1, 2, 3, 4
Eng.: 1, 2, 3, 4
Hindi: 1, 2, 3, 4
3. Siddha Gītā Yoga Vāsiṣṭha
(Upaśama Prakaraṇa)
Ṛṣi Vāsiṣṭha Śrī Rāma - Sanskrit: 1, 2
English: 2, 3
Hindi: 1
4. Vāsiṣṭha Gītā Yoga Vāsiṣṭha
(Nirvāṇa Prakaraṇa)
Ṛṣi Vāsiṣṭha Śrī Rāma - Sanskrit: 1
English: 1
Hindi: 1
5. Brahma Gītā Yoga Vāsiṣṭha
(Nirvāṇa Prakaraṇa
Uttarārdha)
Ṛṣi Vāsiṣṭha Śrī Rāma - Sanskrit: 1
English: 1
Hindi: 1
6. Yajñavarāha Gitā Guru-jñāna-vāsiṣṭha
Tattva-sārāyaṇa
Jñānakānḍa
Bhagvān Viṣṇu Ṛbhu - -



  • From the Mahābhārata (Śanti Parva):

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Aśmaka Gitā [Chapter 28 & 29]
Rājdharma Parva
Ṛṣi Vyāsa Yudhiṣṭhira Aśmagitā English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2
2. Utathya Gitā Rājdharma Parva Utathya [Bhiṣma] King Yauvāśva
[Yudhiṣṭhira]
- English: 1
Hindi: 1
3. Vāmadeva Gitā Rājdharma Parva Vāmadeva [Bhiṣma] King Vasumanas
[Yudhiṣṭhira]
- English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2
4. Ṛṣabha Gitā Rājdharma Parva Sage Ṛṣabha [Bhiṣma] King Sumitra
[Yudhiṣṭhira]
- English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2
5. Ṣaḍja Gitā Ch. 167 Āpaddharma Parva Vidura Pāṇḍavas Āpad Gitā English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2
6. Senajit Gitā Mokṣadharma Parva Bhiṣma Yudhiṣṭhira Pingālā Gitā English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2
7. Śampāka Gītā Mokṣadharma Parva Bhiṣma Yudhiṣṭhira Śaspāka Gitā
Śaṁpāka Gitā
Saṁpāka Gitā
English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1, 2
8. Maṅki Gitā Anuśāsana Parva Bhiṣma Yudhiṣṭhira - English: 1
Hindi: 1
9. Vicakhnu Gitā Mokṣadharma Parva
12.265
Bhiṣma Yudhiṣṭhira - English: 1
Hindi: 1
10. Hārīta Gitā Mokṣadharma Parva - Ch. 278 Bhiṣma Yudhiṣṭhira - English: 1
Hindi: 1
11. Vṛtra Gitā Mokṣadharma Parva Bhiṣma Yudhiṣṭhira - English: 1
Hindi: 1
12. Parāśara Gitā Mokṣadharma Parva Ṛṣi Parāśara
[Bhiṣma]
King Janaka
[Yudhiṣṭhira]
- English: 1
Hindi: 1
13. Haṁsa Gitā Mokṣadharma Parva Ṛṣi Prajāpati Brahmā
[Bhiṣma]
Sādhyas
[Yudhiṣṭhira]
- English: 1
Hindi: 1
14. Bhṛgu Gitā Kumbakonam Edition
Mokṣadharma Parva
Ṛṣi Bhṛgu
[Bhiṣma]
Ṛṣi Bhardvāja
[Yudhiṣṭhira]
- English: 1
Hindi: 1



  • Some Other Gītās from the Paurāṇika literature:

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Kapila Gītā Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
(ŚB) 3.23-33
Kapila Muni Devahūti - English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1
2. Bhikṣu Gītā ŚB 11.23 Śrī Kṛṣṇa Uddhava - English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1
3. Bhramara Gītā ŚB 10.40-46 Nārāyaṇa Akrūra - English: 1, 2
Hindi: 1
4. Śruti Gitā ŚB 10.87(1-50) Śukadeva Parikṣit Vedastutiḥ English: 159, 2
Hindi: 1
5. Aila Gītā ŚB 11.26 Śrī Kṛṣṇa Uddhava Ailagītām English:1, 2
Hindi: 1
6. Vyāsa Gītā (same as Īśvara Gītā) Kūrma Purāṇa Mahaṛṣi Vyāsa Various Sages - English: 1
Hindi: 1
7. Yama Gītā - 1 Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.7 Yamarāja
[Mahaṛṣi Parāśara]
Yama's attendant
[Maitreya]
- English: 1
Hindi: 1
8. Pṛthvī Gītā Viṣṇu Purāṇa 4.24 Earth
(goddess)
- Dharaṇī Gītā English: 1
Hindi: 1
9. Pitṛ Gītā Varāha Purāṇa
(Ch. 13)
Pitṛas - - English: 1
Hindi: 1
10. Yama Gītā - 2 Agni Purāṇa
(Ch. 382)
Yamarāja
[Agni]
Naciketas
[Vasiṣṭha]
- English:1
Hindi: 1
11. Agastya Gītā Varāha Purāṇa
(Ch. 51 to 67)
Bhagvān Varāha
[Ṛṣi Agastya]
Earth (goddess)
[King Bhadrāśva]
- English: 1
Hindi: 1



  • Miscellaneous/Untraceable Gitas:

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
1. Pāṇḍava Gītā Independent Work Śrī Kṛṣṇa Various exalted
personalities
Prapanna Gītā -
2. Nārada Gītā Independent Work Bhagvān Viṣṇu Nārada - -
3. Guru Gītā Independent Work Bhagvān Śiva
[Sūta]
Bhagvatī Pārvatī
[Sages]
- -
4. Yājñavalkya Gītā Independent Work Yājñavalkya Gārgī - -
5. Garbha Gītā Viṣṇu Purāṇa
(non-extant)
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Arjuna - -
6. Jīvanmukta Gītā Independent Work Dattātreya - - -
7. Jñāna Gītā - 1 Independent Work - - - -
8. Jñāna Gītā - 2 Independent Work - - - -
9. Vāsiṣṭha Gītā Independent Work Vāsiṣṭha Rāma - -
10. Arjuna Gītā Independent Work Śrī Kṛṣṇa Arjuna Karma Gītā -
11. Siddhānta Gītā
(1) & (2)
Atharvaṇaveda Rahasya Śrī Kṛṣṇa Arjuna - -
12. Karma Gītā Padma Purāṇa
(non-extant)
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Arjuna - -
13. Mokṣa Gītā (1) - - - - -
14. Mokṣa Gītā (2) - Svāmī Śivānanda Śivānanda's Pupils - -
15. Pañcaratna Gītā - - - - -
16. Śrī Sanyāsa Gītā - Yājñavalkya Sages - -
17. Kabīra Gītā - - - - -
18. Jānkī Gītā untraceable - - - -
19. Navavasanta Gītā untraceable - - - -
20. Ārṣa Gītā Haṁsayogin
(author)
- - - -
21. Kṛṣṇa Gītā Somnāth
(author)
- - - -
22. The Praṇava Gītā manuscript lost - - - -
23. Ṛbhu Gītā Skanda Purāṇa
(saṁhitā version)
- - - -
24. Kāvaṣeya Gītā Brahmānḍa Purāṇa
(non-extant)
- - - -
25. Vālmikī Gītā - - - - -
26. Nārāyaṇa Gītā Nīlakaṇṭha Brahmacārī
(author)
- - - -
27. Pañcādaśa Gītā Independent Work Mutiple
personalities
Mutiple
personalities
- -

    • The Pañcādaśa Gītā collection:

Nine Gitas are distributed over 15 chapters to yield the Pañcādaśa Gītā.

Sr. No. Gītā name Origin Text Deity / Teacher Student Also Known as Online Link(s)
27.1 Kāśyapa Gītā Independent Work Śrī Kṛṣṇa Yudhiṣṭhira -
27.2 Śaunaka Gītā Independent Work Śaunaka Yudhiṣṭhira -
27.3 Aṣtāvakra Gītā Independent Work Sage Lomaśa - - -
27.4 Nahuṣa Gītā Independent Work Yudhiṣṭhira
(Nahuṣa)
Nahuṣa
(Yudhiṣṭhira)
- -
27.5 Sarasva Gītā Independent Work Sarasvatī
(Goddess)
Tārkṣya
(Garuḍa)
- -
27.6 Yudhiṣṭhira Gītā Independent Work Vaiśampāyana Janamejaya - -
27.7 Baka Gītā Independent Work Ṛṣi Mārkanḍeya Yudhiṣṭhira - -
27.8 Dharmavyādha Pāṇḍava Gītā Independent Work Vyādha - -
27.9 Śrīkṛṣṇa Gītā Mahābhārata Śrī Kṛṣṇa Arjuna - -

The Ph.D. scholar notes the following description on the manuscript of the Pañcādaśa Gītā collection, as regards its author: 'upaśamaprakaraṇaṃ rohitakapradeśāntargataverīgrāmanivāāsi gauḍavaṃśāvataṃsavidhiśāstra paramama paṇḍita śrī śivavasahāya-sunuravidattaśāstriḥ'




Conclusion:

The conclusion drawn by the Ph.D. scholar in their thesis is, therefore -

Chapter 7:

"Statistically reviewing the number of "gītās" in the foregoing pages, they number a little more than a hundred, and the aggregate number of "Ślokas" therein is over twenty thousand"

IMO, as per the survey done by me personally, if we dig deeper into scriptures, the total counts of the Gītās may very well exceed 200, at the very least.





Note:

  • Wherever possible, I have given appropriate links to buy/read the Gītās, and information as footnotes, etc.

  • Since this has been a huge answer to compile, some unintentional mistakes might have crept in while hyperlinking or writing the answer. Please feel free to point out the mistakes in the comments below, so that I may verify and edit those accordingly in the answer.

  • Also, to be noted, I have omitted several other Gītās due to a world-limit cap on the answer on the SE.




Sources Used:

I have utilized several resources in compiling these tables.




2
  • what is "umpteen" in the 3rd line? Apr 24, 2022 at 13:08
  • 1
    umpteen means several / many @AmritenduMukhopadhyay :)
    – Vivikta
    Apr 24, 2022 at 13:13
7

There are many Gitas apart from the most famous Srimad Bhagavad Gita (from Mahabharata).

You can read few of them from here:

  • Ashtavakra Gita
  • Avadhuta Gita
  • Kapila Gita
  • Sriram Gita
  • Sruti Gita
  • Uddhava Gita
  • Vibhishana Gita

Apart from these


The post Where exactly is Ashtavakra Gita found? mentions other Gitas names as follows:

Sixteen of them are from (a) the Mahābhārata, twenty from (b) the Purāṇas and similar treatises, and four (c) found as independent works untraced to any other known epic or Purāṇa.

Under the group marked (a) are to be found: Utathya-Gītā, Vāmadeva-Gītā, Ṛṣabha-Gītā, Ṣaḍaja-Gītā, Sampāka-Gītā, Maṅki-Gītā, Bodhya-Gītā, Vicakhnu-Gītā, Hārīta-Gītā, Vṛtra-Gītā, Parāśara-Gītā, Haṃsa-Gītā, Brahma-Gītā, Anu-Gītā and Brāhmaṇa-Gītā.

In the group marked (b) are included: two Kapila-Gītās, Haṃsa-Gītā, Bhikṣu-Gītā, Devī-Gītā, Gaṇeśa-Gītā, two Brahma-Gītās, Sūta-Gītā, three Yama-Gītās, Śiva-Gītā, two Rāma-Gītās, Sūrya-Gītā and Vasiṣṭha-Gītā.

Under the group marked (c) come four works: Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā, Avadhūta-Gītā, Uttara-Gītā, and Pāṇḍava-Gītā.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .