Why was the Bhagavad Gita spoken?
Shri Krishna spoke the Gita to free Arjuna from grief and confusion on the battlefield and to show him his true duty.
Answer
When his chariot stood between the two armies at Kurukshetra, Arjuna saw before him his grandsire Bhishma, his teacher Drona, his cousins and his relatives. His heart was flooded with pity and attachment, his bow Gandiva began to slip from his hand, and he decided not to fight. This was not merely the dilemma of one warrior; it is the dilemma of every person caught between duty and emotion.
Arjuna then accepted Shri Krishna as his teacher, surrendered to him and asked for guidance. In reply the Lord taught him about the immortality of the soul, action without attachment to results, knowledge, meditation and devotion. At the end Arjuna declared that his delusion was gone and that he would act as the Lord instructed.
Devotees believe that, using Arjuna as the occasion, the Lord gave this wisdom for all humanity, so that in every age people facing the struggles of life could recognise the path of dharma.
- Source
- Bhagavad Gita, chapters 1, 2 and 18