The Bhagavad Gita is a story based on the relationship of a Supreme God and the role of the people who worship him. This book is one of the greatest resources available for insight into the Hindu religion. There are two main characters in this book, Arjuna and Krishna. The setting of the story is on a battlefield before a great war. Here Arjuna is faced with a major moral decision. Should he be responsible for the slaying of his kinsmen for the glory of is kingdom or shall he refuse to fight out of respect for his people? The answer to this question can be only responded to by Krishna, the Supreme God of the Hindu religion. Through the dialogue of these two great characters the reader is able to get insight into the Hindu religion and compare many of the scenarios and beliefs to their own faith. The Bhagavad Gita is a tale of the mental struggle of right and wrong, a tale of balance between man and his creator, and the divine obligation of a man to play the role that he was given in life.
The story starts at the beginning of a great war between the kings of Southwest Asia. A moral dilemma becomes evident when Arjuna sees that friends and family are pitted against each other on opposite sides of battle. Upon this sight, Arjuna loses the will to seek victory of a kingdom at the cost of the lives that will be sacrificed. Here Arjuna speaks on behalf of mankind that question the role that people must play in life. This is called dharma in the Vedic culture, the divine order and sacred law of the cosmos reflected in the notion of human duty to fulfill one's obligations according to caste (Goucher's In The Balance: Themes in Global History, 148 ). Arjuna is a soldier and a leader, yet he is a man with compassion. He feels that he has no place to decide the destiny of others, especially those that he cares about, by slaying them in battle. This problem is placed in the hands of the Supreme God Krishna, which happens to be accompanying Arjuna on the field of battle as a charioteer.
