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According to Socrates, “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” To include, Proverbs, 3:5-6 states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Bible). In like manner, throughout the sacred text of Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna, has a difficult time understanding life and does not want to partake in his natural-born duty as a warrior. On the other hand, Bhagavad Gita, means, “Song of the Blessed One”, and it is based on Hinduism. Hinduism is a well-known religion and The Bhagavad Gita is based on its ancient principles. However, although the sacred text of Bhadgavad …show more content…
To elaborate, the caste system was created to maintain order and separate different kinds of people. For example, it is similar to the food pyramid, but it is separated into four different groups of social classes. For example, the charioteer says, “The duties of priests, of warriors, of laborers, and of servants are apportioned according to the gunas that arsie from their inborn nature.”(190). Although Bhagavad Gita is faithful to the idea of the caste system, it also explains the three gunas. The gunas are sattva, rajas, and tamas and throughout the book it describes more than several ways individuals live their life. For example, someone who is considered sattva is free from sorrow and someone who is tamas is ignorance-born or …show more content…
The ultimate goal in Bhagavad Gita is to obtain wisdom, understand worship, and what is absolute freedom, but it also teaches Arjuna the right way to live and make decisisons. Bhagavad Gita was written based on Hinduism principles, but it also elaborates the key to life which is worship, freedom, and wisdom. While learning how to achieve these important aspects of life readers also learn about gunas, absolute freedom, kindness, meditation, and relinquishing all sense-objects. Although it takes Arjuna a while to accept his duty, his mind is finally at ease and knows what he has to do, which is to fight. Arjuna said, “Krishna, I see the truth now, by your immeasurable kindness. I have no more doubts; I will act according to your
Thousands of years ago, Indian society developed into a complex system based on different classes. This system is known as the Caste System. It separated Indians into different castes based on what class they were born into. As thousands of years went by, this system grew larger and became further complex (Wadley 189). This system caused frustration for the Indian citizens because they were receiving inequality.
Reflecting on the Bhagavad Gita, the passages seem to be contradicting. Arjuna seems to have no idea what to do in the face of the enemy. In the 1st chapter he does not want to engage in fighting. The idea of killing brothers, fathers, uncles, etc., bothered Arjuna immensely. To quote, "These I do not want to kill even though they should kill me, O Madhusudana, not even for domination over these 3 words, how much less just for this earth!" (Passage 35)
The Hindu Caste system characterized individuals by their born occupation and skin color (Varna). The caste system was also focused on Hinduism and the belief of reincarnation. Hindus believe they are born again into a different person after death. This reincarnation depends on the good and bad deeds that the individual performed during their current life. Reincarnation ends when the person reached perfection and paradise, known as Nirvana. The caste system directly reflected the Hindu religion. If a person born into high class was to perform negative actions, then their next life would mirror those actions. The highest class in the caste system was the Brahmins, or priests. These priests and religious teachers were the most powerful citizens because they ruled over religion. The next class system is the rulers and soldiers called Kshatriyas. After the Kshatriyas, were the Vaishays (merchants and traders). Finally, the caste system contained the Shudras (laborers and workers). Outside of the caste systems was a group called the Untouchables (Achuta). The untouchables were outcasts in society and were n...
Bharat Bhattarai is just an average guy in America, but he is the greatest hero of them all. He had to go through the toughest part of a person’s live, losing a parent. Not only did Bharat Bhattarai lose his father, he also lost the hero of his life. In some instances people can lose their mind and go crazy after losing their loved ones. But this was not the case for Bharat Bhattarai as filled all the negatives moments with the positive ones which kept him strong during the most tragic moment of his life. Like specified before, it is well to think positively and not negatively, which helped Bharat Bhattarai turn into a great hero by considering the other friends and family in his life, which made him understand that they will need him to be stronger than any other time at the deplorable minute, which is precisely what he did, by realizing that he has two elementary school who see him as the greatest hero in his eyes, and cannot let that feeling change by going crazy. He did not always have those days where he was super strong and proceed on ward, on a few days he would have contemplations that would make him super pitiful but none the less he would constantly beat those moments by recalling the greatest things that his father taught his which was to be strong, “never give up and to not lose to or give in to anything in life no matter how bad the situation may be” (Bhattarai). These are exactly what he did, and helped him sustain the extraordinary measure of mettle that most normal individuals do not have. So not only was Bharat Bhattarai calm during the saddest moments of his lives change the world of his two kids with his amazing courage, he became a hero for his loved ones and did this by remembering that everything in life is not filled with hate and that many things in life can feel different with a
Throughout the tale, Siddhartha strives to be one with Atman, or internal harmony/eternal self, but by his own attainment. Even when he is offered the insight of Gotama, the divine and perfect one, who is the embodiment of peace, truth, and happiness, he refuses following him and decides to attain Nirvana in his own way. In this, Siddhartha shows his prideful nature but also reveals a positive aspect: self-direction. He realizes that others' ways of teaching can only be applied to their past experiences, but is still reluctant to ac...
The movie the “Legend of Bagger Vance” is a film based on the sacred Hindu story the Bagavad Gita. The movie incorporates the major aspects of the story, while telling them in a modern day version. Since the film is based on this ancient Hindu text, it is easy to draw similarities between the two. Although the movie demonstrates the key lessons of the Bagavad Gita in a distorted view, connections can be made between the characters and the roles they play in each other’s lives.
Hinduism focuses on liberation from the realm of samsara, the cycle of rebirth and death, while Confucianism focuses on the Dao, the correct way to act for society, and ren, or benevolence. Both religions have religious texts that reflect these ideals, the Bhagavad-Gita belonging to Hinduism, and the Analects belonging to Confucianism. While these two texts originate from two distinct religions, the two have some similarities and differences. Both the Bhagavad-Gita and the Analects address the proper way for one to act; however, they differ when it comes to heaven and the main concern of each text. The main concern of the Bhagavad-Gita is a personal journey, achieving moksa through devotion to Brahman, and the main concern of the Analects is a communal journey, maintaining social propriety through the five relationships.
The question of suffering comes up much when talking about, or practicing any religion. Many ask why people suffer, and what causes suffering? The various religions try to answer these questions in their own way. Pico Iyer’s editorial, “The Value of Suffering” addresses the questions of suffering and how it is handled. This article could be compared to the Bhagavad-Gita which also addresses and explains suffering through different stories of the interactions of humans and different Gods. One can specifically look at “The Second Teaching” in the Bhagavad-Gita, which explains the interaction between a man named Arjuna and the god Krishna. In it Arjuna is suffering because he does not want to fight in a war and with people whom he should be worshiping. Krishna says to fight because the souls of the people will forever live on, and because he needs to fulfill his Dharma. With what is known about the Bhagavad-Gita and how Iyer thinks about the subject, Iyer would agree with how the Bhagavad-Gita address suffering.
This modern day translation of the Bhagavad Gita, written by Barbara Stoller Miller, focused briefly on Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War. It was a fairly short yet in depth description of Hindu beliefs and the conflicts that humans encounter when deciding which path to follow. The translation is in poetic form, and is divided between eighteen teachings, or chapters if you will. Each teaching focuses on one discipline of the mind, revealed through the Hindi god Krishna, to the man seeking knowledge at the time of his life’s most crucial stage, Arjuna.
Through the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, Herman Hesse communicates to the reader the way in which the reader should live their life and what they should and should not do. An example of this is in the book it states, “Vasudeva listened with great attention. Listening carefully, he let everything enter his mind, birthplace and childhood, all that learning, all that searching, all joy, all distress. This was among the ferryman’s virtues one of the greatest: like only a few, he knew how to listen.” Herman Hesse does not communicate to the reader directly how they should live their life instead he gives an example of something good someone does in the book this makes the reader realize that it is good
The Bhagavad-Gita teaches many things, and amongst these, morality and moral law are developed for the Hindu religion. What Krishna, the primary Hindu god, declares in this somewhat epic poem to be the "basis of good in this world" (stanza 3, pg. 620 of text) is for people to take action. Action, as he goes on to state, is within the very nature of our beings to do. Krishna even states that "without action you even fail to sustain your own body" (stanza 8, pg. 620 of text). Thus, Krishna feels that action is very important and key. To take this concept as a relation to ethics, Krishna tells Arjuna, the warrior he is talking to in this poem, that "Action imprisons the world unless it is done as sacrifice; freed from attachment, Arjuna, perform action as sacrifice!" (stanza 9, pg. 620 of text). Thus, Krishna is prescribing that, in order for an action to be considered good, the good that he already declared to be the basis of all good in the world, one must detach himself from the action being performed and perform the action sacrificially. The detachment aspect is incredibly important to Krishna, for he proclaims that in "performing action with detachment, one achieves supreme good" (stanza 19, pg 620 of text). By doing this, Krishna believes that the world is preserved, for other people will follow the warrior's actions and imitate them in their own lives. A leader, such as a warrior or king, "sets the standard for the world to follow" (stanza 21, pg. 621 of text), as Krishna says and thus must take whatever action is necessary for the world to not be destroyed, to set examples of goodness and right in his own actions. By separating himself from these actions, thus becoming detached, he can achieve this. Another main reason that Krishna feels detachment is necessary is this: "You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty." (Bhagavad-Gita 2.47). Thus, so long as one does not profit from his own actions, the action itself is good. And, this is Krishna's prescription for leading a life of morality and duty is the moral law to follow in order to achieve this.
In the story of Arjuna , Krishna (the avatar of Vishnu) talks to Arjuna about why he should fight. Krishna wants Arjuna to fight, however Arjuna is not sure what to do. In this essay I'm going to talk about and come to a decision as to whether I think Arjuna should fight or not.
“Plato, Apologia” is a primary source that is a story written by Plato, it is a written account of Socrates, a Greek philosopher, who was being tried for immorality towards the gods and for “corrupting the youth” (Strayer). In this primary source, Socrates is trying to plead his case so he won 't be charged; unfortunately, Socrates does get charged with the crimes he was convicted of and is sentenced to be put to death. Through his Socrates’ plea, his discusses what he believes is “the good life,” what “wisdom” is, and what “virtue” is.
Christians and Hindus both have sacred texts they believe in that will help guide them on the right path during their existence on earth and after they pass. The Christian Bible consists of sixty six books of the Old and New Testament scriptures. The Bible explains God’s actions in the world and his purpose with all creation. The Bible is a guide for living life to its fullest, it is a map for the journey of life. People who are in pain, suffering, or mourning will look to the Bible to find strength in their darkest hours. The Hindu sacred text is known as the Bhagavad Gita. Composed around 200 BC in ancient India, the Bhagavad Gita is a 700 verse script containing the eternal message of spiritual wisdom. The word Gita means song and the word Bhagavad means God, often the Bhagavad Gita is called “The Song of God.” The Bhagavad Gita contains knowledge about God, the ultimate truth, creation, birth and death, the results of actions, the eternal soul, liberation and the purpose of human existence.
The caste system in India is elaborately structured to have an Indian touch to it, clearly distinguishing it from social structures worldwide. Caste is a word often used to describe a cluster of people who have a specific rank in the society. Each caste system is elaborately crafted to suit the needs of the society and they vary from group to group; each has its own rules and customs. Different chaste systems are planned in a hierarchical manner to become part of any of the four basic colors; varnas (a Sanskrit word for color). These include; the varna of Brahmans, identified with the learned class and priests; varna of Kshatriyas, which is encompasses warriors, rulers and property owners, the varna of Vaishyas, which attracts traders ; and lastly the varna of Shudras, who are servile laborers (Bayly, 1999).