There are nine Dhyana Shlokas (meditation verses) traditionally chanted before studying the Bhagavad Gītā, which were composed by the great scholar Sri Madhusūdana Saraswati. These nine verses are collectively known as the Gītā Dhyānam.

Name of the Gītā commentary by Shri Madhusūdana Saraswati:
“Gūḍhārtha Dīpikā”

Gūḍha (गूढ) means hidden or deep, Artha (अर्थ) means meaning and
Dīpikā (दीपिका) means a lamp or illumination

So, “Gūḍhārtha Dīpikā” means “The Lamp that Illuminates the Hidden Meaning of the Gītā.”

It is a celebrated commentary because it reveals the subtle, profound, and deeper teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā.

Shri Madhusūdana Saraswati begins his Gītā commentary with four types of Namaskarams (salutations). Each salutation is offered to an important figure or text connected to the Bhagavad Gītā:

1️⃣ Bhārata Namaskāram

Bhārata refers to the Mahābhārata, the great epic in which the Bhagavad Gītā appears. This is a salutation to the sacred text itself, acknowledging the Mahābhārata as the source.

2️⃣ Gītā Namaskāram

A salutation to the Bhagavad Gītā, the divine teaching given on the battlefield. It expresses reverence for the scripture and its wisdom.

3️⃣ Vyāsa Namaskāram

A gratitude-filled tribute offered to the author and compiler Maharishi Veda Vyāsa, the great sage who compiled the Mahābhārata and preserved the Gītā for the world.

4️⃣ Kṛiṣṇa Namaskāram

A salutation to Bhagavan Shri Kṛiṣṇa, the teacher of the Gītā.
It honours the Jagadguru who revealed the timeless spiritual knowledge.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gītā was taught by Bhagavan Sri Kṛiṣṇa to Arjuna during the Mahābhārata war.
The Mahābhārata war is placed around 5,000 years ago (according to many traditional calculations).
This is why it is revered as an ancient yet timeless scripture, whose teachings remain relevant even today.

The word Itihāsa is formed from the following Sanskrit components:

इति (iti) — thus

ह (ha) — indeed

आस (āsa) — it was / it happened

So, Itihāsa literally means:
📜 “इति ह आसीत्” → “Thus indeed it happened.”

In our tradition, the Ramayana and the Mahābhārata are called Itihāsas because they narrate events that truly occurred, preserved for guiding future generations.

The Bhagavad Gītā contains a total of 18 Adhyāyas (chapters).

पाराशर्यः (Pārāśaryaḥ) means: “Son of Parāśara(पराशर )”

This refers to Bhagavān Veda Vyāsa, also known as Krishna Dvaipāyana Vyāsa.

In the Gītā Dhyāna Śloka, the line is:
📜 “सर्वोपनिषदो गावो” (sarvopaniṣado gāvo)
This means:
• सर्व उपनिषदः (sarva upaniṣadaḥ) — all the Upanishads
• गावः (gāvaḥ) — are cows

The Upanishads are described as cows,
Krishna as the cowherd (milker),
Arjuna as the calf,
and the Bhagavad Gītā as the milk.

📌 Symbolism:
Just as a cow gives nourishing milk, the Upanishads give the nourishing essence of spiritual wisdom, which becomes the Gītā.

Knowledge is compared to light because it removes the darkness of ignorance and reveals the truth.

We describe God in a specific form to create an image in our mind, making it easier to focus, meditate, and emotionally connect with God.

Veda Vyāsa is called “Viśhāla-buddhe” because he possessed an extraordinarily vast and expansive intellect. He authored Mahābhārata, containing the Bhagavad Gītā, Brahma Sūtras,18 Purāṇas and Vedānta literature

Bhagavan Shri Krishna is compared to the Pārijāta tree(पारिजात वृक्ष), the divine wish-fulfilling tree, because He grants all spiritual desires of His devotees.

In Chin Mudrā, the index finger (ego) unites with the thumb (Paramātma). The other three fingers represent the ever-changing aspects of life

मूकं (mūkam) — the dumb person

करोति वाचालम् (karoti vācālam) — is made eloquent

पङ्गुम् (paṅgum) — the cripple

लङ्घयते गिरिम् (laṅghayate girim) — is made to cross mountains

It is by the grace of Bhagavān Mādhava (Krishna) that even
a person who cannot speak becomes eloquent, and
a person who cannot walk can cross mountains.

Kunti’s original name was Prithā.

Vyasa Maharishi’s original name was Krishna Dvaipāyana.

Krishna → because he had a dark complexion. Dvaipayana → because he was born on an island (dvīpa) in the Yamuna river. He later came to be known as Veda Vyāsa because he compiled and categorised the Vedas into four parts.