Foundations · Reading
The Itihasas and the Gita
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the Bhagavad Gita at the heart of the second.
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Philosophy
Itihasa means 'so indeed it was'. The two Itihasas are the Ramayana, the story of Rama, and the Mahabharata, the story of the Bharata dynasty and its great war.
Within the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita, the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna before battle. It teaches Karma, Bhakti, Jnana and Dhyana Yog, and defines Yog as evenness of mind: samatvam yoga uchyate.
Further reading
- Bhagavad Gita 2.48
Ideas behind it
Sources and tradition
- YOG Union App Content Map, 2 November 2026, pp. 2–3
- Bhagavad Gita, 2.48