The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is considered to be the most important section of the epic tale within the Vedas entitled the Mahabharata. It is the story of a great battle about to be fought over the possession of the ancient kingdom of Kurukshetra in Northern India. The warriors are two sets of cousins descendant from the legendary king Bharata. The great initiate and Yogi Arjuna is the hero of this story. As he rides into battle on his chariot, he is greeted by the Great Master and Deity Krishna.
The Majority of the story is a dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna. Arjuna is in a state of dilemma, confused about what is right and wrong. If he rides into battle as planned, he will feel remorseful about killing his family members. However, if he does not ride into battle, his side will surely lose the war and therefore the land that he believes is rightfully his. Luckily, Krishna, the wisest of them all, appears as his personal counsel and dispels all illusions from him.
The dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna covers every topic one might wonder about ; Death, Life, Enlightenment, The nature of reality, the nature of the Self, the nature of God, etc. It is no wonder why Albert Einstein, Aldous Huxley, Robert Oppenheimer, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Herman Hesse, and many others were so profoundly influenced by the 18 chapter Epic.
The Bhagavad Gita is a book to own, and to read over and over again. It is not a book that you read once, it is a book that you STUDY. Owning a copy of this book is necessary for any true spiritual seeker, and will continue to reward you with new insights ever time you open it, and on every step of the way throughout your spiritual journey.
There are many translations, but I recommend either the one by A.C. Bhaktividanta Swami Prahbubada or this one by Swami Sivananda