ABSTRACT
The Bhagavad-Gītā is perhaps the most well-known and often quoted text in the Hindu tradition. Hindus of many persuasions today consider it the essence of all scriptures and sacred truth. Considering the appeal of the Gītā throughout history, and particularly later within the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition, it is certainly surprising that the school produced no commentary on the Gītā until approximately 200 years after the tradition’s inauguration by Caitanya. Indeed, the first time we witness the Bhagavad-Gītā receiving significant attention is from Viśvanātha Chakravartī, who compiled the Sārārtha-varṣiṇī, a Sanskrit commentary upon the Bhagavad-Gītā, and in quick succession from his student Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, who wrote the Gīta-bhūṣaṇa, his own unique stand on the Gīta, both prominent teachers of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sect during the reign of Jaisingh II. This chapter explores their unprecedented contributions on the Bhagavad-Gītā, and of special interest for this book, their karma-bhakti perspectives which may have been a response to the political pressures stemming from Jaipur and thus resemble to some degree the viewpoints illustrated in the Karmādhikāra-nirṇaya and the Karma-vivṛti. The Gītā has often been associated with action in the world. This text is therefore one of the most, if not the most, suitable texts within the Hindu tradition through which a theological basis for social and public interactions could be expounded.
