Acharya Prashant explains that the emphasis on the Bhagavad Gita is due to its setting. It portrays a real-life, practical situation that most people can easily resonate and identify with. While there might be other scriptures that are philosophically clearer, in terms of utility and impact, the Gita is unparalleled. This impact stems from its setting, where something very worldly is at stake, and the disciple, Arjun, is very reluctant. This is in contrast to the Upanishads, where the disciple is often already almost converted, having come to the teacher willingly in a pleasant, idyllic setting with little at stake. In the Upanishads, the disciple is already asking sublime, profound questions, having done more than half the teacher's job. In the Gita, the disciple Arjun is not only reluctant but at times resistant, even accusing the teacher, Shri Krishna, of misguiding him. A lot is at stake for Arjun; he is being told to kill his relatives, friends, and teachers. Arjun represents the common person of today, who is attached, fearful, superstitious, and deeply socially conditioned. He is concerned with caste, what will happen to women, rituals for ancestors, and his reputation. These are the problems of the common man. Because Arjun represents the common man of today, the solutions Shri Krishna offers are applicable and useful to everyone. The Gita is a timeless message because the problems Arjun faces are the problems of this age as well. To truly benefit from the Gita, one must approach it from the inside out, recognizing their own predicament in Arjun's. One must honestly admit, "I am Arjun." If you are not Arjun, then Shri Krishna's message, no matter how precious, will not reach you. It would be like a great scripture without your name on it, of no use to you. The Gita is a moving document of the compassion of Truth, showing the epic struggle of Shri Krishna trying to help an unwilling disciple. It is a song (Gita) of both melancholy and wisdom.
