Read & reflect
Explore the Sanskrit verses chapter by chapter. Read a passage in context, compare a named translation and take time with the questions it raises.
Compare translations and commentaries at IIT Kanpur’s Gita Supersite →
Begin by identifying the speaker and the question being discussed. Read the preceding and following verses before lifting a sentence out of the conversation. Different translators and philosophical commentators can make different interpretive choices; note whose explanation you are following.
Keep three short notes: what the passage says, your interpretation and what remains unclear. A personal reflection can be valuable without being presented as the only meaning of the text.
For a starting point, read our introduction to chapter two or the guide to action and attachment to results.