Gita Jayanti is the birthday of the Bhagavad Gita, the discourse in eighteen chapters and about seven hundred verses between Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The tradition places it on the Ekadashi of the bright fortnight of Margashirsha, the day also known as Mokshada Ekadashi. It is observed by recitations, lectures and processions, at Kurukshetra in Haryana, in ISKCON and Vedanta centres, and in homes and schools.
Month and tithi
The day is the Shukla Ekadashi of Margashirsha, the eleventh tithi, explained on the Ekadashi page. It is the same day as Mokshada Ekadashi, whose katha and fast are described there.
The Gita in the Mahabharata
The Gita forms part of the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. Arjuna, seeing his relatives and teachers in the opposing army, lost heart and refused to fight. Krishna, serving as his charioteer, answered his doubts with teachings on duty, action without attachment, knowledge, devotion and the nature of the self. Sanjaya, given the gift of sight by Vyasa, reported the conversation to the blind king Dhritarashtra. Scholars consider the Gita to be a text of an early period, and the exact date of the battle and of the composition is a matter of discussion. Tradition places the day of the teaching on this Ekadashi, and it is a day on which people read, rather than a historical claim about a date.
How the day is kept
Many people read the whole Gita or a chosen chapter on the day, often chapter 12 on devotion or chapter 15, in a group or at a temple. Schools and ISKCON centres hold recitation contests and talks, and in Kurukshetra the Gita Mahotsav, a large international festival, is held in the days around it. Quiet households light a lamp before a copy of the book, read a chapter and reflect on one verse. Fasting is optional, since the day is an Ekadashi and many people keep the Ekadashi vrat.
How the day is fixed
The date is the same as the Smarta date of Mokshada Ekadashi in each city: the civil day on which Ekadashi is in force at sunrise, with the rule that decides the day when the tithi covers two sunrises explained on the Ekadashi page. Many Vaishnava traditions use a stricter test for Ekadashi and may keep the fast, and Gita Jayanti, on the following day. If you follow one of these, use its own calendar.
Why cities differ
The tithi begins and ends at one instant for the whole world, but sunrise is at a different clock time in every city. An Ekadashi that ends a few minutes before sunrise in one city is still running in another, which moves the day. The table shows each city, and the any-city tool works out other places.
A calm note
Reading even a single verse with attention is a good way to keep the day. The Gita has been read in many ways, as philosophy, as devotion and as guidance for action, and readers from all backgrounds find different things in it. If you keep a fast, keep it according to your health. Follow your own family and community for the day.