Gita Jayanti गीता जयन्ती
Lord Krishna (as Gitacharya) · Full-day vrat
The Margashirsha Shukla Ekadashi (Mokshada Ekadashi) — the very day in Dvapara Yuga when Lord Krishna delivered the 700-verse Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield before the Mahabharata war. Devotees undertake full parayana of all 18 chapters and 700 verses in a single day. ISKCON celebrates with continuous gita-pravachana at every centre worldwide. Kurukshetra city hosts the International Gita Mahotsav with delegations from 40+ countries.
Rituals (vidhi)
- 1.Single-day full parayana of all 18 chapters and 700 verses
- 2.Brahmin satkar — gifting copies of the Gita to seekers
- 3.Mokshada Ekadashi vrat of fasting
- 4.Recitation of Chapter 15 (Purushottama Yoga) and Chapter 18 (final liberation) at sunset
- 5.Visit to Jyotisar Tirtha (the banyan tree at Kurukshetra where Krishna spoke the Gita)
Significance
The Gita is the only scripture whose anniversary the Hindu tradition celebrates as a Jayanti — a recognition of its status as Krishna’s direct verbal teaching (sruti through smriti). Established by the Padma Purana phala-shruti: hearing even a single verse of the Gita on this day removes the sin of countless births. Translated into 78+ languages, gifted by Indian PMs to visiting heads of state.
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