Global Recognition of Bhagavad Gita and Natyashastra

Recently Bhagavad Gita and Natyashastra have been inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.

About UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register

• The UNESCO Memory of the World Register Programme is a global initiative that seeks to preserve and provide access to the world’s documentary heritage.
• Origin: It was launched by UNESCO in 1992 in response to increasing threats to documentary heritage, including war, neglect, and natural disasters.
  • It was created to support efforts in preserving historically significant documents and manuscripts across the globe.
• Objectives:
  • To ensure universal access to the heritages without cultural or political barriers.
  • To raise public awareness about the importance and relevance of documentary materials in shaping civilisations, identities, and histories.
• Significance:
  • It emphasizes that documentary heritage is a shared legacy of humanity and must be protected and made accessible for current and future generations.
  • It celebrates documents of outstanding universal value, including texts, manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, and more.

About Bhagavad Gita Introduction: The Bhagavad Gita is a revered philosophical and spiritual scripture rooted in ancient Indian tradition.

• Origin: The Gita is found in the Bhīṣmaparva of the Mahabharata (chapters 23–40), containing 700 verses across 18 chapters.
  • It is structured as a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, set on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

• Content: The text synthesizes diverse philosophical traditions including Vedic, Buddhist, Jain, and materialist (Cārvāka) ideas.
  • It addresses key themes such as dharma (duty), detachment, devotion, and spiritual enlightenment.
• Cultural Significance: The Gita is a core component of India’s intellectual tradition and has influenced philosophy, ethics, and spiritual practice worldwide.

About Natyashastra

• Introduction: The Natyashastra, authored by Bharat Muni, is the foundational treatise on Indian performing arts.
  • It is known as the Nāṭyaveda, or the science of drama and performance.
• Origin: The text was likely codified around the 2nd century B.C. and is preserved at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.
  • It is an oral tradition comprising 36,000 verses, also referred to as Gāndharvaveda.
• Content: The Natyashastra provides a detailed framework on drama (nāṭya), emotion (bhāva), aesthetics (rasa), performance (abhinaya), and music (saṅgīta).
  • It defines key artistic principles such as the rasa theory, emphasizing that “no meaning can blossom forth without rasa.”
• Cultural Significance:
  • The text has profoundly influenced Indian theatre, dance, poetics, and aesthetics for centuries.
  • It continues to inspire global artistic traditions and literary theories, underlining the universal relevance of Indian performance art.