the narrative of the "dnyaneshwari" closely follows the "bhagavad gita", yet the commentary – called "tika" in the local tradition – is written in the form of a "song-sermon" that expands the explanation to include a discussion of the major hindu philosophies and beliefs in the 13th-century. while the "gita" has 700 verses, the "dnyaneshwari" has about 9,000 verses. it includes references to the vedas, the upanishads and other major hindu texts. the "dnyaneshwari" is a rhythmic prose, that can be recited alone or chanted as a group. each of its 9,000 verses consists of four lines (quarters) called an "ovi" (a form of marathi meter). unlike the "gita" which has fixed number of syllables in its verses and which do not rhyme, the "dnyaneshwari" commentary on the "gita" has a variable number of syllables per line, of which first three of four do rhyme. each line in the "dnyaneshwari" typically has between three and thirteen syllables.