What is Gita? and What are 60 different types of Gita
Gita Means text containing instructions or answers given by the learned ones (Jivanmuktas
and Aparoksha-Jnanis) to the eager questionings of earnest seekers.
1. Guru
Gita – Conversation between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It
stresses the need for and the importance of seeking a Spiritual Teacher (Guru)
and extols his greatness. It is described in Skanda Purana.
2. Ashtavakra
Gita – Conversation between Sage Ashtavakra and King Janaka. It speaks
about Advaita Vedanta, bondage and self-realization. It emphasizes on the
superiority of the Indwelling Atma to the frailties of the human body and its
afflictions as symbolized by Ashtavakra. It is described in the Vana Parva of
Mahabharata.
3. Avadhuta
Gita – Conversation between Sage Dattatreya and Skanda (Lord
Kartikeya). It asserts the highest realizations of a Jivanmukta or a realized
soul.
4. Bhagavad
Gita - Conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the eve of the
Mahabharata war. It is the most popular form of Gita that puts light on various
aspects of life.
5. Anu
Gita – Conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna. When Arjuna asks
Lord Krishna to repeat to him the original Bhagavad Gita, as he had forgotten
the same, in reply Sri Krishna says its repetition is impossible and narrates
this sequel to the original.
6. Brahma
Gita – Conversation between Sage Vasishtha and Sri Rama. It is
described in Nirvana Prakarana of Yoga-Vasishtha. In this Gita, the nature of
Brahman, the world and the soul is clearly expounded.
7. Janaka
Gita – Soliloquy by King Janaka after his hearing the song sung by the
Siddhas near his palace.
8. Rama
Gita-I – Conversation between Sri Rama and his brother Sri Lakshmana.
It expounds the Advaita-Vedanta with its different principles of Jiva, Avidya,
Isvara, Maya etc. and the process of the realization of the Eternal Being, the
Brahman. It is described in Adhyatma Ramayana.
9. Rama
Gita-II – Conversation between Sri Rama and Lord Hanuman. It is a
scripture of the Anubhavadvaitins and stresses upon acquirement of knowledge,
and not retirement from the world. It is described in Tattva Sarayana.
10. Ribhu
Gita – Instructions of Sage Ribhu to his disciple Nidagha. It is an
acclaimed Gita dealing with Advaita Vedanta and it forms the heart of the
Shivarahasya Purana which is one of the Upapuranas regarding Shiva and Shaivite
worship.
11. Siddha
Gita – Song sung by many Siddhas near the palace of King Janaka. Its
gist is that - the expansion of consciousness into infinity is effected through
self-control and the negation of the subject-object relationship. It is
described in the Upashanti-Prakarana of the Yoga-Vasishtha.
12. Uttara
Gita – It is a supplement to the Bhagavad Gita described in Brahmanda
Purana. It treats of Jnana and Yoga and allied topics.
13. Vasishtha
Gita – Instruction of Sage Vasishtha to Sri Rama on the eternal
truths. It is described in the Nirvana-Prakarana of Yoga-Vasishtha.
14. Baka
Gita – Conversation between Lord Indra and Sage Baka in which the Sage
gives a description of the sorrowful condition of the world which a person who
lives for a long time has to see. It is described in the Mahabharata.
15. Bhikshu
Gita – Quotes of Lord Krishna to Uddhava in form of a greedy Brahmin
who becomes a sage later and sings a song which has its burden the method of
the control of the mind. It is described in Srimad Bhagavatam.
16. Gopi
Gita – The Gopis’ song of separation from Sri Krishna. This Gita is
replete with the highest kind of devotion to the supreme Lord. It is from
Srimad Bhagavatam.
17. Hamsa
Gita – Conversation between Lord Vishnu in the form of a swan and the
sons of Brahma. This Gita considers the world as an illusion and the Atman
alone as the permanent reality. It is found in Srimad Bhagavatam. It is also
referred to as Uddhava Gita.
18. Jivanmukta
Gita – Sage Dattatreya explains the nature of the Jivanmukta (realized
soul).
19. Kapila
Gita – Teachings of Sage Kapila to his mother Devahuti. It is
described in Srimad Bhagavatam.
20. Nahusha
Gita – Conversation between Yudhishthira and Nahusha. It is described
in the Mahabharata.
21. Narada
Gita – Conversation between Sri Krishna and Narada. It treats of the
general requisites of a spiritual aspirant. It stresses the supremacy of the
Guru or the spiritual preceptor.
22. Pandava
Gita – Collection of Various prayers offered by different devotees to
the Supreme Lord (Narayana). It is also known as the Prapanna Gita. This Gita
is referred to as the song of surrender. It is a collection of beautiful verses
taken from different sources. This hymn described in the Gita was sung by the
Pandavas as it was said to destroy all sins and grant liberation.
23. Rishabha
Gita – Instructions of Sage Rishabha to his children on the eternal
truths and way to liberation for the benefit of the world. It is described in
Srimad Bhagavatam and teaches mankind the purpose of human life, how to remove
the vagaries of the mind and release oneself from bondage and attain
liberation.
24. Shaunaka
Gita – Instructions of Sage Shaunaka to Yudhishthira on the secrets of
the general life of the beings of the universe. It is described in the
Aranya-Parva of the Mahabharata.
25. Sruti
Gita – Prayer offered by the Srutis to Lord Narayana. It is described
in Srimad Bhagavatam.
26. Yugala
Gita – The Gopis’ description of the glory of Sri Krishna. It is described
in Srimad Bhagavatam.
27. Vyadha
Gita – A sermon delivered by a Vyadha (Hunter) to Sage Kaushika. It is
described in the Mahabharata.
28. Yudhishthira
Gita – Conversation between Yudhishthira and a Yaksha. It is described
in the Mahabharata. This Gita treats of the basic ethics which forms the
bedrock of virtue and divine life.
29. Moksha
Gita – Song of liberation written by Swami Sivananda.
30. Ramana
Gita – Composed by Sri Vasishtha Ganapati Muni, embodies the teachings
of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
31. Ishwara
Gita – Teachings of Lord Shiva described in Kurma Purana. The Ishvara
Gita is a Shaivite teaching philosophy with Lord Shiva as the focal point but
similar to the Bhagavad Gita following principles of Advaita Vedanta, devotion,
one pointedness and surrender to Lord Shiva to cross the ocean of Samsara and
achieve divine bliss and liberation.
32. Ganesha
Gita – Lord Ganesha’s discourse to king Varenya. It is described in
the Kridakanda of the Ganesha Purana.
33. Devi
Gita – A part of Devi Bhagavatam, in this Gita, following Himalaya’s
request, The Devi describes her essential forms to him.
34. Parashara
Gita - Dialogue between Rishi Parasara, the father of Vyasa and King
Janaka of Mithila described in the Shanti Parva of the epic Mahabharata.
35. Pingala
Gita - Described in the Shanti Parva of the epic Mahabharata, the
message of this Gita is the enlightenment and wisdom that dawned on a dancing
girl (prostitute) named Pingala.
36. Bodhya
Gita - A dialogue between Rishi Bodhya and King Yayati. It is taken
from the Moksha Parva of Mahabharata, as part of Shanti Parva.
37. Yama
Gita - Explains in detail the qualities of a Vishnu devotee and the
nature of the self, concept of Brahman and the method to free oneself from the
cycles of birth and death and attain moksha or liberation. It is described in
Vishnu Purana, Agni Purana & Narasimha Purana.
38. Vichakshyu/
Vicakhnu Gita – Bhishma’s narration to Yudhishthira in the Shanti
Parva of Mahabharata about non-violence and stresses on the importance of sacrificing
all the violent or animal qualities present in man rather than concentrating on
the external aspects of sacrifice and committing sins by slaughtering animals.
39. Manki
Gita – Story of a Muni called Manki, told by Bhishma to Yudhishthira
in the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata.
40. Vyasa
Gita – Discourse of Rishi Vyasa to the Rishis described in Brahma
Purana. The Vyasa Gita is highly conceptual and directed more towards yogis and
advanced seekers though its concepts are meant even for the seeker who wishes
to attain Brahman and is ready to assiduously follow yogic practices and study
the scriptures diligently and practice discrimination.
41. Vritra
Gita – It is a dialogue between a fierce demon Vritrasura and
Shukracharya, the Guru of the Asuras described in the Shanti Parva of
Mahabharata.
42. Shiva
Gita – Lord Shiva’s teachings to Lord Rama described in Padma Purana.
43. Sampaka
Gita – Sampaka, a learned and pious Brahmin gives the message that one
can attain everlasting happiness only through renunciation. It is described in
the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata in form of conversation between Bhishma and
Yudhishthira.
44. Suta
Gita – It is contained in the Skanda Purana, Yagya Vaibhava Khanda. It
advocates monism and refutes dualism.
45. Surya
Gita – Conversation between Lord Brahma and Lord Dakshinamurty in
which the later tells the story of Lord Surya’s discourse to Aruna, his
charioteer. It is found in Guru Gyan Vasishta in Tattva Sarayana.
46. Harita
Gita - The teachings that were said to be taught by Sage Harita on
Sanyasa dharma according to Bhishma on the true path of a sadhaka and the
qualities to be possessed to achieve moksha or liberation. It is described in
the Shanti Parva of Mahabharata in form of conversation between Bhishma and
Yudhishthira.
47. Vibhishana
Gita - It is the discourse between Lord Rama and Vibhishana described
in Ramayana. It is described in the Yuddha Kanda of the great Hindu epic
Ramayana. The Vibhishana Gita enables us to go through trials and tribulations
of life keeping in mind the spiritually ennobling words of Lord Rama to
Vibhishana.
48. Hanumad
Gita - It is the discourse given by Lord Rama and Goddess Sita to Hanuman
after the defeat of Ravana and their arrival back to Ayodhya.
49. Agastya
Gita - Sage Agastya explains the concepts of Moksha dharma and the
ways in which the Jivatma can attain the Paramatma through devotion,
renunciation and the grace of the guru. It is described in Varaha Purana.
50. Bharata
Gita – Described in Srimad Bhagavat Purana, this Gita beautifully
extols the glories of the Lord and explains the pitfalls that a seeker faces if
the mind is uncontrolled and in the process shows us the greatness of Bharata
whose name is fittingly bestowed on this great country of India known as
Bharata Varsha.
51. Bhishma
Gita – Described in Mahabharata, this Gita contains the hymns of
Bhishma chanting the various names of Maheshwara, Vishnu and Narayana and singing
these hymns with faith and devotion is said to confer bliss, peace and
prosperity to the seeker.
52. Brahmana
Gita - Described in Mahabharata, this Gita is in the form of a
dialogue between a learned Brahmana and his wife about how to escape from the bonds
of maya and illusion and attain the highest state of liberation which is the
goal of all human existence.
53. Rudra
Gita - Hymns in praise of Lord Vishnu expounded by Rudra for
liberation in the Bhagavat Purana. In the Varaha Purana it describes the identity
of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as given by Rudra including a hymn on Vishnu.
54. Sanatsujata
Gita - It is contained in the Mahabharata in the Udyoga Parva and is
in the nature of a dialogue between Dhritarashtra - the Kaurava king and Rishi
Sanatsujata. It explains the Concept of Brahman, mind, intellect and the
methods of attaining the Brahman.
55. Yogi
Gita - It is a collection of prayers and spiritual teachings of the
fourth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan, Shri Yogiji Maharaj. It explains
about all the attributes that are needed for a seeker to attain spiritual
realization and become Brahmarup or attain the God realization.
56. Vallabh
Gita - It is also referred to as Shodasha Granthas and is a collection
of sixteen works of Shri Vallabhacharya in which all range of subjects have
been discussed. He taught his disciples to seek the true goal of life which is
moksha or liberation.
57. Vidura
Gita - Generally referred to as Vidura Neeti, comprises of maxims of
right conduct, fair play and the art of governing and politics in the form of a
dialogue between Vidura and King Dhritarashtra, in the great Hindu epic
Mahabharata.
58. Vidya
Gita - It is contained in the Tripura Rahasya and is in the form of a
story which Lord Dattatreya relates to Parashurama. It is called Vidya Gita as
Tripura or the Divine Mother who presides over the three Puras or cities is
Vidya or the highest wisdom herself.
59. Bhramara
Gita – Conversation between Gopis and Uddhava through a ‘bee’
(Bhramara) as an intermediary. It is from Srimad Bhagavatam.
60. Venu
Gita – It contains the confidential talks of the Gopis in their deep
emotional turmoil upon hearing the sound of Sri Krishna's flute (Venu). It is
from Srimad Bhagavatam.
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