भगवद्गीताbhagavad-gītā
The Bhagavad Gita in PDF, free and legal
3 min read · Updated October 17, 2026 · sources checked October 17, 2026
In short
You can download the Bhagavad Gita free and legally: the Sanskrit text of the Pune critical edition on GRETIL (University of Göttingen), and public-domain English translations by Charles Wilkins (1785), K. T. Telang (1882), Edwin Arnold (1885, in verse) and Annie Besant (1895). Most modern translations are copyrighted. Our edition adds Devanāgarī, IAST, our own translation and notes for practice.
What "free and legal" means here
A translation is protected by copyright like any book. The Sanskrit text itself is ancient, and translations published long ago are now in the public domain. Everything listed below falls into one of these two categories: you can download it, print it and read it with a clear conscience. We checked every link on 17 October 2026.
The Sanskrit text
| Edition | What it is | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Critical edition (Pune) | The text established by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute from the manuscripts of the Mahābhārata, 700 verses, with references to the epic (6.23-40) | GRETIL, critical text |
| Vulgate | The text as commonly printed, with the traditional chapter titles and an extra verse at the start of chapter 13 | GRETIL, vulgate |
Both are in transliteration (IAST). For Devanāgarī, any Indian printed edition will do; Gita Press of Gorakhpur, publishing since 1923, is the best known and sells its editions on its own site.
Public-domain translations
| Translator | Year | Style | Good for | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Wilkins | 1785 | The first English translation, eighteenth-century prose, old spellings ("Kreeshna", "Arjoon") | history: the book that introduced the Gita to Europe | Internet Archive |
| Kashinath Trimbak Telang | 1882 | Close prose translation by an Indian scholar, with notes, in the Sacred Books of the East (vol. 8) | study: the most faithful of the old versions | Internet Archive |
| Edwin Arnold | 1885 | Victorian blank verse, The Song Celestial | reading aloud; beautiful but free with the text | Project Gutenberg |
| Annie Besant | 1895 | The Lord's Song, plain and devotional, Theosophical reading | a first, gentle reading | Internet Archive |
How different are they? Here is the end of verses 2.47-48 in Arnold's verse, a translation now in the public domain:
From the texts
"Let right deeds be / Thy motive, not the fruit which comes from them. / And live in action! Labour! Make thine acts / Thy piety, casting all self aside, / Contemning gain and merit; equable / In good or evil: equability / Is Yog, is piety!" (Edwin Arnold, The Song Celestial, 1885)
And the same verse 2.48 in Sanskrit with our own, closer translation:
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनंजय । सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥
yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanaṃjaya | siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate ||
Established in yoga, do your work, Dhanaṃjaya, letting go of attachment, the same in success and failure. Evenness is called yoga.
Telang's prose for verse 2.47, by contrast, follows the Sanskrit almost word for word, marking his own additions in brackets:
From the texts
"Your business is with action alone; not by any means with fruit. Let not the fruit of action be your motive (to action). Let not your attachment be (fixed) on inaction." (K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ, Sacred Books of the East 8, 1882)
Arnold is a poet: he adds "piety" and leaves out the name Dhanaṃjaya. Telang keeps the name and stays close to the words. Reading two translations side by side, with the Sanskrit beneath, is the best way to see what belongs to the text and what to the translator.
How to choose
- You want to read the whole Gita once, simply: Besant, or Arnold if you like poetry.
- You want to study it: Telang, with the Sanskrit of the critical edition open beside it.
- You are curious about history: Wilkins, the book Warren Hastings prefaced and Europe first read.
- You want the Sanskrit to chant or learn by heart: the critical text on GRETIL, then a Devanāgarī edition. Our page of Bhagavad Gita quotes gives 26 verses in both scripts.
What our edition adds
The old translations give you the words. The Bhagavad Gita for Yogis (about 45 pages) is built for practice:
- all 18 chapters summarised, so you always know where you are in the dialogue;
- 80 key verses in Devanāgarī, IAST transliteration and our own translation, each with a note for practice;
- the four yogas of action, knowledge, devotion and meditation, explained from the text (see the three yogas of the Gita);
- five themes for reading the Gita as a yogi, and a 30-day reading and practice plan;
- a one-page recap of the eighteen chapters, a glossary and the list of editions used.
Its companion, The Gita in 18 Days, is a printable journal: one chapter a day, one verse to learn by heart, a short practice and eighteen verse cards. The two are sold together in the Gita in 18 Days pack. Before buying, read the free overview of the Bhagavad Gita and the key chapter 2.
Questions people ask
Where can I find a printable Bhagavad Gita PDF?
The Internet Archive offers scans of Telang's translation (Sacred Books of the East, 1882), Besant's The Lord's Song (1895) and Wilkins's first English translation (1785), all downloadable as PDF. Edwin Arnold's verse translation (1885) is on Project Gutenberg in several formats.
Which Bhagavad Gita book is the original?
The original is the Sanskrit text, chapters 23 to 40 of the sixth book of the Mahābhārata. The most authoritative modern text is the critical edition prepared at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, free on GRETIL. Every English book is a translation, and every translation is an interpretation.
Where can I find the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit as a PDF?
GRETIL publishes the critical edition in transliteration and the vulgate text with chapter titles, free for study. Print the web page to PDF, or use the Devanāgarī of a printed edition such as those of Gita Press, Gorakhpur.
How many Bhagavad Gita books are there?
One text, in 18 chapters and 700 verses, but hundreds of editions and translations. Charles Wilkins published the first English translation in 1785; it has been translated many times since into English, French, Hindi and most languages of India and the world.
Can I download a modern translation free?
Modern translations are generally protected by copyright, and free PDFs of them online are usually unauthorised copies. Buy them from their publishers, or read the public-domain editions on this page.
Sources
- Bhagavadgītā, text of the critical edition (Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute), entered by M. Tokunaga, revised by J. Smith, GRETIL checked October 17, 2026
- Bhagavadgītā, vulgate text with chapter titles, GRETIL checked October 17, 2026
- Charles Wilkins, The Bhagvat-Geeta, or Dialogues of Kreeshna and Arjoon (London, C. Nourse, 1785), copy of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026
- Kashinath Trimbak Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1882), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026
- Edwin Arnold, The Song Celestial, or Bhagavad-Gîtâ (1885), Project Gutenberg eBook 2388 checked October 17, 2026
- Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gita or the Lord's Song (London, Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), Internet Archive checked October 17, 2026
- Bhagavad Gita, Wikipedia (first English translation by Wilkins in 1785; list of early translations) checked October 17, 2026
- Gita Press, Gorakhpur (publisher since 1923) checked October 17, 2026