Who Wrote the Bhagavadgita

A Secular Enquiry into a Sacred Text • by Meghnad Desai

Understanding the Book

Total: 12 Chapters across 4 Parts

In this provocative work, economist and scholar Meghnad Desai approaches the Bhagavad Gita not as a divine revelation but as a historical document shaped by human hands across centuries. Using textual analysis and historical context, Desai argues that the Gita was written by three different authors at different periods, responding to the philosophical and religious challenges of their times.

The central question: Was the Gita a divine revelation or a human response to Buddhism’s challenge to Brahmanical authority?

The Gita is a creation of humans done over centuries, an evolving response which deals with the conflicts between Veda and Vedanta and then with the challenge posed to Vedanta by Buddhism. — Meghnad Desai
WHO WROTE THE BHAGAVADGITA?
A Secular Investigation of Authorship & Origins
PART I: THE SACRED TEXT - Context & Significance
Chapter 1
The Sacred Text
Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita's place in Hindu philosophy and its influence across millennia as India's most revered scripture.
Chapter 2
The Gita in Modern India
How the Gita became a unifying force in India's freedom struggle and its role in shaping modern Indian identity.
Chapter 3
From Jaya to Mahabharata
The textual evolution from a small epic to a massive text, and how the Gita fits into this literary journey.
PART II: THE AUTHORSHIP QUESTION - Scholarly Investigation
Chapter 4
The Interpreters
How Vivekananda, Tilak, Gandhi, and Ambedkar interpreted the Gita, each finding different messages in the same text.
Chapter 5
Quest for the Original Gita
G.S. Khair's groundbreaking research and the methodology for identifying multiple authors within a sacred text.
Chapter 6
The Three Authors Theory
Desai's central argument: the Gita was composed by three different authors across several centuries, each with distinct philosophical agendas.
PART III: THE THREE AUTHORS - Who Were They?
Chapter 7
Author One: Karma Yoga
The earliest author (~600 BCE) wrote 126 verses on renunciation and karma-yoga for an educated audience seeking liberation.
Chapter 8
Author Two: Buddha's Contemporary
The second author (contemporary with Buddha) added 119 verses on karma and sattvika qualities, responding to early Buddhist ideas.
Chapter 9
Author Three: Rise of Bhakti
The third author (~300 BCE) contributed 455 verses promoting bhakti devotion as a counter-response to Buddhism's growing influence.
Chapter 10
Badarayana: The Final Editor
How Badarayana (author of Brahmasutra) may have served as the final editor, weaving three distinct texts into one coherent whole.
PART IV: CONTEXT & CRITIQUE - Buddhism, Brahmanism & Beyond
Chapter 11
Buddhism and the Gita
The centuries-long battle between Brahmanism and Buddhism, and how the Gita served as a weapon in this ideological war.
Chapter 12
The Gita Today: A Critique
Desai's controversial argument about the Gita's problematic elements and its suitability for modern India.

Key Themes of the Investigation

Core Arguments of the Book