Synopsis
Playwright Girish Karnad explores the influence of Indian poem the Bhagavad Gita, known as the 'Bible of Hinduism' and hailed as a guiding force behind the subcontinent's history for the past 3,000 years. Interpreted in many ways, the words of wisdom within have inspired people across the world, from Mahatma Gandhi to the Beatles. The programme includes footage of life in modern India and dramatic reconstructions of the great battles which inspired the opening lines of the poem.
- Programme: Art That Shook The World
- Series: 2
- Episode: 4: Bhagavad Gita
- Channel: BBC Four
- Broadcast year: 2002
- Religious Education
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from Art That Shook The World
S1E1: Impression: Sunrise | Art That Shook The World
S1E1: Impression: Sunrise | Art That Shook The World
Examining controversial works of art which have influenced culture. Critic Andrew Graham-Dixon reflects on the emergence...
S1E3: The Marriage of Figaro | Art That Shook The World
S1E3: The Marriage of Figaro | Art That Shook The World
Soprano Barbara Bonney examines Mozart's celebrated opera The Marriage of Figaro, based on a banned play by Beaumarch...
S1E4: Battleship Potemkin | Art That Shook The World
S1E4: Battleship Potemkin | Art That Shook The World
Today, film-maker Renny Bartlett tells the story of the making of the film which inspired Francis Bacon, Woody Allen, Br...
S1E5: Psalms of David | Art That Shook The World
S1E5: Psalms of David | Art That Shook The World
Germaine Greer takes a look at the often ignored but rather gigantic influence of the Psalms on wildly diverse cultures, fro...
S2E1: Richard Wagner: The Ring Cycle | Art That Shook The World
S2E1: Richard Wagner: The Ring Cycle | Art That Shook The World
Michael Portillo explores his passion for Richard Wagner's Ring cycle, a monumental : and controversial : ope...
More resources about Hinduism
Hindu | Being...
Hindu | Being...
British Hindus across the faith celebrate life's big milestones, from birth and coming of age to marriage and the end of life.
5: Hinduism | My Life, My Religion
5: Hinduism | My Life, My Religion
What does it mean to be a Hindu? 14-year-old Simran celebrates Diwali and Holi, and her 11-year-old brother Vraj tells us all about the cy...
The Caste System | Hindus: Do We Have a Caste Problem?
The Caste System | Hindus: Do We Have a Caste Problem?
Parle Patel explores whether the caste system is still important to Hindus in Britain today.
Hinduism: God | Belief File
Hinduism: God | Belief File
Young British Hindu's explain and discuss God in the Hindu faith.
Episode 1 | The Ganges with Sue Perkins
Episode 1 | The Ganges with Sue Perkins
Sue Perkins journeys to the source of India's Ganges river in the Himalayas, meeting hermits and holy men to understand the sacred na...
A Tale of Five Temples - The Story of Hinduism in Britain
A Tale of Five Temples - The Story of Hinduism in Britain
Naga Munchetty narrates a documentary exploring the history of five Hindu temples across Britain, tracing their sto...
Deities and Brahman | Being…
Deities and Brahman | Being…
An explanation that Hindus in fact only have one God, Brahman, but different representation of Brahman, called Deities.
Hindus: Do We Have a Caste Problem?
Hindus: Do We Have a Caste Problem?
Parle Patel, a young British Hindu and popular YouTuber, explores the influence of caste on Hindu communities in the UK.
Diwali | Belief File
Diwali | Belief File
A look at the many ways in which Hindus celebrate the festival of Diwali.
Episode 2 | The Ganges with Sue Perkins
Episode 2 | The Ganges with Sue Perkins
Sue Perkins arrives in Varanasi, India's most intense, extraordinary and breath-taking city.
Hindu Prayer | Belief File
Hindu Prayer | Belief File
An introduction to how Hindus worship both at home and at the temple.
Marriage | Hindus: Do We Have a Caste Problem?
Marriage | Hindus: Do We Have a Caste Problem?
Parle Patel discovers how the caste system affects dating and marriage for Hindus around the world.
02: The Rise to Fame | Gandhi
02: The Rise to Fame | Gandhi
Mishal Husain traces Gandhi's transformation from obscure lawyer to father of the nation, and looks at his campaign of mass civil disobedience.
03: The Road to Freedom | Gandhi
03: The Road to Freedom | Gandhi
Mishal Husain explores the dramatic last years of Gandhi's life and asks why he is revered as Father of the Nation, when India turned its ba...
2: The Ganges | Sacred Rivers with Simon Reeve
2: The Ganges | Sacred Rivers with Simon Reeve
Along the Ganges, Simon Reeves sees how India's economy has affected its religious culture.
A short history of the afterlife | KS4 Curriculum Bites
A short history of the afterlife | KS4 Curriculum Bites
Is death the end? Is there any evidence for an afterlife? A look at Christian and Buddhist views on the afterlife. NO...
Caste Discrimination | Hindus: Do We Have a Caste Problem?
Caste Discrimination | Hindus: Do We Have a Caste Problem?
Parle Patel meets campaigners trying to outlaw caste-based discrimination in the UK.
Finding a partner - Hinduism | Strictly Soulmates
Finding a partner - Hinduism | Strictly Soulmates
Two young Hindu women in Britain search for their soulmates with the help of matchmakers, parents and family.
01: The Making of the Mahatma | Gandhi
01: The Making of the Mahatma | Gandhi
Journalist and newsreader Mishal Husain journeys through Mahatma Gandhi's early years in India to the end of his controversial career ...
Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges
Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges
Amol heads to India on a pilgrimage to the largest religious festival in history, the Kumbh Mela, where he wants to find out if faith can help ...