Was the Bhagavad Gita a Work of Fiction?

Question: Was Srimad Bhagavad Gita actually recited by Lord Krishna in the battlefield or is it the imagination of the poet?

Swami Sivananda, "Yes. There is no doubt about the Gita having been recited by Lord Krishna in the battlefield. It is not a mere composition of Chiranjivi (eternally living) Vyasa. Recall to mind the following two Slokas which can be found in the Gita Mahatmya:

Gita Sugeeta Kartavya Kimanyaih Sastravistaraih
Ya Svayam Padmanabhasya Mukhapadmadvinissruta
Bharatamritasarvasvam Vishnorvaktradvinissrutam
Gitagangodakam Peetva Punarjanma Na Vidyate

"The Gita is not a human composition at all. Have the conviction as such, without the usual questioning intellect. Remember all the Avatara Purushas like Sri Sankara and Sri Ramanuja who had written commentaries on the Gita. Lord Krishna Himself says to one of His lady-devotees named Lilabai that He and the Gita are identical and that worship of the one is adoration of the other. Study Slokas 68 to 71 of the Eighteenth Chapter of the Gita to infuse in yourself the necessary faith and love towards the holy scriptures."