Characters of the Bhagavad Gita

Divine Teacher and Charioteer

Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who serves as Arjuna's charioteer and spiritual guide on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. As the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna reveals the deepest truths about life, death, duty, and devotion.

Warrior Prince and Spiritual Seeker

Arjuna is the great warrior prince of the Pandavas and the recipient of Krishna's divine teachings. His questions and doubts on the battlefield become the catalyst for the entire Bhagavad Gita, making him the ideal representative of a sincere spiritual seeker.

Narrator and Minister

Sanjaya is the narrator of the Bhagavad Gita, blessed with divine vision by sage Vyasa to witness and report the events of the Kurukshetra war to the blind king Dhritarashtra. His narration frames the entire dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna.

King of Hastinapura

Dhritarashtra is the blind king of Hastinapura and father of the Kauravas. His question to Sanjaya in the very first verse of the Gita sets the entire dialogue in motion. He represents attachment and the blindness of worldly affection.

Author and Sage

Sage Vyasa (also known as Veda Vyasa or Krishna Dvaipayana) is the legendary author of the Mahabharata, of which the Bhagavad Gita is a part. He compiled the Vedas and wrote the Puranas, earning him the title 'the literary incarnation of God.'

Commander and Elder

Bhishma (also called Bhishma Pitamah) is the grand-uncle of both the Pandavas and Kauravas, and the commander of the Kaurava army. His presence on the opposing side deeply troubles Arjuna, contributing to his moral crisis.

Royal Guru and Commander

Dronacharya (Drona) was the royal guru who taught martial arts to both the Pandavas and Kauravas. Arjuna was his favorite student. Like Bhishma, his presence in the enemy army deepens Arjuna's moral crisis.