Length of the Bhagavad Gita versus Yoga Sutras Patanjali

1. Some experts consider that there are 195 Sutras instead of 196
2. The number of words refers to the Sanskrit version

According to Srihari KG's NLP analysis of the Sanskrit versions of both texts, in terms of number of words, the Bhagavad Gita has 4171, while the Yoga Sutras have 428. If one looks at the number of characters in these verses and words, The average number of characters in a verse of the Bhagavad Gita is 82, while in the Yoga Sutras it is 38. However, if we look at each word separately, the number of characters in the words of the Yoga Sutras is 15, which is a greater than the 10 of the Bhagavad Gita.

That is, the Bhagavad Gita has many more verses that are also longer on average, but the Yoga Sutras have longer individual words.

Includes the following chapters:

1. I- The Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna (Arjuna Vishada Yoga): 47 verses
2. II- The Yoga of Knowledge (Sankhya Yoga): 72 verses
3. III- The Yoga of Action (Karma Yoga): 43 verses
4. IV- The Yoga of Knowledge and Renunciation of Action (Jnana-Karma-Sannyasa Yoga): 42 verses
5. V- The Yoga of the Renunciation (Sannyasa Yoga): 29 verses
6. VI- The Yoga of Meditation (Dhyana Yoga): 47 verses

The central idea is that man has a spiritual and eternal soul (Atman) and that knowing it allows him to achieve self-realization through the different paths of yoga: Sankhya, Karma, Jnana, Sannyasa and Dhyana, each of which describes the path towards salvation, and which the Bhagavad Gita attempts to harmonize.

Includes the following chapters:

1. VII- The Yoga of Knowledge and Realization of Brahman (Jananvijnana Yoga). 30 verses
2. VIII- The Yoga of Brahma (Brahma Yoga). 28 verses
3. IX- The Yoga of Royal and Discriminatory Knowledge (Rajavidya-rajaguhya Yoga). 34 verses
4. X- The Yoga of Divine Manifestations (Vibhuti Yoga). 42 verses
5. XI- The Yoga of the Universal Form of the Lord (Vishwarupa Sandarshana Yoga). 55 verses
6. XII- The Yoga of Devotion (Bhakti Yoga). 20 verses

These six chapters mainly describe the Superior Absolute Reality, which will allow the seeker to access the knowledge, manifestations and forms of the Lord. The central axis is the relationship between the individual soul (Atman) and the Supreme Soul (Paramatman) related to devotion (Bhakti Yoga), which in the end shows that pure devotion is the best path of self-realization for a seeker and therefore is the most important lesson of this block.

Includes the following chapters:

1. XIII- The Yoga of the Distinction between the Field and the Knower of the Field (Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga) 34 verses
2. XIV- The Yoga of the Differentiation of the Three Gunas (Gunatrayavibhaga Yoga) 27 verses
3. XV- The Yoga of the Supreme Being (Purushottama Yoga) 20 verses
4. XVI- The Yoga of Divine and Demoniacal Inheritance (Daivasurasampadvibhaga Yoga) 24 verses
5. XVII- The Yoga of the Threefold Faith (Sharaddhatrayavibhaga Yoga) 28 verses
6. XVIII- Yoga of Renunciation of Action (Karma Sannyasa Yoga) 78 verses

In the third six chapters, important topics like the Body, Gunas, Prakriti, Purushottama, Karma, different types of faith of man are discussed. The central axis of the first five chapters of this block is Jnana Yoga: The Path of Knowledge, the most difficult of all, and also the most risky if not combined with Bhakti.

Chapter 18 (last) can be considered as the final summary of the Bhagavad Gita.

Number of verses recited by the different protagonists of the Bhagavad Gita:

Distribution of the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita by verses and protagonists:

Related information

1. Yoga Shastra
2. Bhagavad Gita (Shruti)
3. Yoga Philosophy and Vedanta
4. Yoga Sutras (formal), Bhagavad Gita (poetry)
5. Bhagavad Gita (dialogue), Yoga Sutras (scientific text)
6. Repetition technique
7. Yoga Philosophy
8. Sankhya Philosophy
9. Raja Yoga