The influence of Bhagavad-gita, however, is not limited to India. The Gita has deeply affected the thinking of generations of philosophers, theologians, educators, scientists and authors in the West as well Henry David Thoreau reveals in his journal, "Every morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita ... in comparison with which our modern civilization and literature seem puny and trivial."

The Gita has long been considered the essence of Vedic literature, the vast body of ancient scriptural writings that forms the basis of Vedic philosophy and spirituality. As the essence of the 108 Upanisads, it is sometimes referred to as Gitopanisad.

Bhagavad-gita, the essence of Vedic wisdom, was injected into the Mahabharata, an action-packed narrative of an important era in ancient Indian politics.