Early Giithaa sculptures

[Ashish Chandra]

I found this piece at a website. It tries to date the Bhagavat Gita.

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[...]

It is possible to date the bhagavadgItA, and the mahAbhArata that it is
part of, to a time before the advent of Buddhism. Considering that there is
a specific reference to the brahma-sUtra in the 'gItA, in verse XIII-5 of
the latter work, it is possible to date the brahma-sUtra also to a time
before Buddhism. In fact, bodhAyana, a scholar dated to 400 B.C., refers to
the bhagavadgItA and mahAbhArata. In his commentary upon the brahma-sUtra,
rAmAnuja refers to a varttika (explanatory text) by bodhAyana in which the
latter shows familiarity with both the mImAmsa-sUtra and the brahma-sUtra,
and in fact considers them to be two parts of a complete exposition.
Unfortunately, no copies of this varttika survive to the present day, and
it is also not quoted from by any other scholar. However, it may be
presumed that the text did exist in rAmAnuja's time, and combined with the
known familiarity of bodhAyana with the bhagavadgIta, goes to show that the
brahma-sUtra was definitely already accepted as a canonical text by his
time.
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I don't know the nature of bodhAyana's familiarity with the BG as I have
not read Ramanuja's Gita Bhashya. But those who have are welcome to comment
on whether or not bodhAyana is seen to be thoroughly familiar with BG.

Ashish