Adhyaya 192

Pārvatī asks Śiva to proclaim the glory of the Bhagavad Gītā’s eighteen chapters. Īśvara replies with a layered eulogy: the Gītā is the essence of śāstra, dispels ignorance and the threefold afflictions, subdues Yama’s messengers, and even heals disease. Its supremacy is affirmed through “foremost among” comparisons—like nectar among essences and Puṣkara among tīrthas. The narrative then turns to Indra: seeing a “new Indra,” he laments neglect of dharma and pilgrimage and seeks Viṣṇu. Śrī Bhagavān teaches that reciting five Gītā verses in the eighteenth chapter yields supreme merit; Indra finds a brāhmaṇa on the Godāvarī who recites all eighteen chapters, and through that puṇya attains union with Viṣṇu (sāyujya). The chapter concludes that hearing this māhātmya frees one from sins and grants the fruit of all sacrifices.