Philosophy and religion has seemingly always been intertwined, one following the other. The way one should live one’s life according to a specific philosophy can entirely be dependent upon the existence of a religion they devote their life to. However, with the topic of way of living coupled with religion, many times, when they are not coincided with each other, conflicts arise. This leads to my sense of conflict when reading the Bhagavad Gita.
To preface the passage, the whole story of the Bhagavad Gita meaning “The Song of God,” which is part of the Mahabharata, an epic narrative of the Kurukshetra War, can be summarized as Arjuna the warrior preparing for battle, is suddenly assailed by many doubts that shook his composure completely. These
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This puzzled me greatly even more so when I read The Blessed one (Krishna)’s response, simply the fact being that it was perfect sense in terms of the situation. The situation was a man set up to fight and defeat his family, his friends, his relatives, and his kin. When Krishna spoke in his lines “You speak as if with words with wisdom [but] you have mourned that which is not to be mourned” This first couple lines from the Bhagavad Gita were so earthshaking to me in terms of profoundness and rebuking towards …show more content…
“You speak as if with words of wisdom, [but] you have mourned that which is not to be mourned. Wise men mourn neither those whose life-breath is gone, nor those whose breath remains. I have never not existed; nor have you, nor have these lords of men. Nor will we cease to exist, all of us, from now onward”. Krishna’s words referenced the idea encompassing Hinduism with Atman and Brahman. The whole aspect of the Hindu cycle of life is brought into conversation solely to reason with Arjuna to kill his family, his friends, and his kin. The significance of Krishna’s words lies in the application of Dharma. This was very twisted from my perspective mainly because I do not possess the potential sense of duty that Arjuna would as a practitioner of Hinduism and the belief in Krishna’s power. To trigger Arjuna’s duty as a warrior, Krishna was very blunt in rebuking Arjuna’s current mindset being not only wrong but frivolous. The unusualness grows throughout this passage because it seems to teach a lesson of lack of compassion or neglect towards life in this world. If nothing ever matters because everything is not of this world and will ultimately perish which is the most disturbing aspect of the reading of this primary
From the beginning of humankind, people have constantly had to deal with inner battles. Many of these issues cease to exist as time goes on, while new ones arise to take their place. There is one issue, however, that has remained consistent throughout time – morality. For centuries, humans have fought against the outside world and themselves to keep their morals properly aligned. The issue of morality is so dominant that it is still plays a vital role in today’s society. This can be seen in wars, law systems, codes of conduct, and religious texts. An example of a religious text where this can be seen is in pages 185 - 188 of the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna, also referred to as “The Blessed One”, guides Arjuna through his inner struggles between
On the other hand, Arjuna is the main character of “The Bhagavad-Gita”, the 63rd minor book of the Mahabharata. The story follows Ajuana’s spiritual tutoring from his good friend Lord Krsha, whom is god in the form of a human. Ajuana displays a few characteristics of an epic hero, and The Bhagavad-Gita does show a trait or two of an epic poem. However, there is more evidence working contradicting it “The Bhagavad-Gita” not being an epic poem and Ajuana being an epic hero. The Bhagavad does not have an epic hero, nor does it take place in a series of different settings, albeit it did have a have one God within the story. Ajuana is not from noble birth, he does not battle any superhuman foes, nor does he embark on an epic journey.
Otherwise we never acknowledge him (Paulson 122). The author perceives death as a denial of humanity. Which makes character treat death us a surprise to his existent (Goldhamer 5). It perceives man being to concern about worldly matters that forget to acknowledge God. Everyman used "blind," as a metaphor to acknowledge how people react when they think about death (Goldhamer 3). As the book of Isaiah when it describes the true advocates when they recognize that they are sinners, who confess their sin and lament deeply by its situation but seems hopeless. "We touch the wall like the blind, and fondled to walk like no eyes..." (Isaiah 59:11). Of all the creatures that God made human beings are by far the supreme and more complex. However, because of pride humans often forget that God is its creator, that are created beings, and which are therefore dependent on God. God sends Death to Everyman because of their ignorance toward him (Goldhamer 2). On some point of our lives we well have to give an account for our actions. Death warns the hero that "before God thou shalt answer" (107). In other words, Death tries to frighten the reader and the character (Goldhamer 3). Death can appear when least expected. Just like the coming of God. The play tries to teach the reader that this is why we should live a life of righteousness before the lord (Goldhamer 3)
...sed by society, and the physical barriers of the land. He even transcends the dichotomy of joy and pain, incorporating joy into pain, and pain into joy. Krishna is not only Braj, he is the world. Thus, although the pilgrims leave Braj, they never leave Krishna. By the end of his story, Haberman had accepted Krishna’s essence – ananda - and all the excitement, pain, and joy associated with it. The pain had not vanished from his journey, but rather, from his mind. It was in the face of pain that he could find pure joy. Haberman had traveled through asceticism and emerged on the other side somehow above it. Pain and pleasure, in the end (or more accurately, the unending), were not sought, but accepted; his life in lila transcended this dualistic distinction.
In this story, the Lord Vishnu, whose duty it is to protect the universe from corruptive forces, takes the bodily form of Sri Krishna. He then lowers himself, out of love, and takes the humble position of charioteer to Prince Arjuna, a reluctant warrior. The battle is over a kingdom, one that will be, according to Price Arjuna, 'fruitless'; if it is won by the spilling of his relatives' blood. Arjuna initially believes that 'when a family declines, ancient traditions are destroyed'; (Ch 1, 40-41). Though a noble belief, Sri Krishna tells him that he is incorrect. Krishna then begins to set Prince Arjuna on his 'path to salvation,'; teaching him the ways of a selfless life. The most amazing aspect of all of this, I find, is that throughout the entire story – through all of Prince Arjuna's reluctance and stubborn beliefs – Krishna, the deity, never abandons him. This love and devotion, shown by a deity for a subject, is amazing. It is a kind of two-way worship that I admire greatly.
Religion, “part of the human experience that has to do with a god or gods, a higher power, or the ultimate values of life” (Cason & Tillman 6-7), is one of the most controversial and interesting subjects for humanity. It has been around for as long as anyone can recall and they have difference and similarities in their founders, beliefs, and history. Religion has served to give some sort of a meaning to life and everything around it. In modern society, some religions have grown and expanded significantly. These larger religions have been classified as world religions. In addition, these world religions have been split into two categories known as Eastern and Western religion.
A large amount of ancient texts contain themes relating to violence, power, and war, while others, such as The Bhagavad Gita and Confucius’ Analects, focus on individual and collective development through a series of selfless acts. The two texts provide an in-depth system of duties and learning created to provide direction for the betterment of the self, as well as society as a whole. The Bhagavad Gita places a greater focus on the duties of individuals that must be fulfilled to achieve an enlightened state with the divine forces. Contradictory consequences are presented for those who choose to act in an egotistical manner and deny their duties. Confucius’ Analects, on the other hand, places its main focus on collective development and responsibility
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.
disagreement. With everyone trying to promote themselves in the eyes of God, or achieve eternal salvation spirituality is no longer about humanity’s deliverance. The individual believes that as long as he serves the word of God he is justified in benefiting himself. Humans have, in a way, made religion into a competition, and with competition comes conflict.
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.
The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most famous, and definitely the most widely-read, ethical text of ancient India. As an episode in India's great epic, the Mahabharata, The Bhagavad Gita now ranks as one of the three principal texts that define and capture the essence of Hinduism; the other two being the Upanishads and the Brahma Sutras. Though this work contains much theology, its kernel is ethical and its teaching is set in the context of an ethical problem. The teaching of The Bhagavad Gita is summed up in the maxim "your business is with the deed and not with the result." When Arjuna, the third son of king Pandu (dynasty name: Pandavas) is about to begin a war that became inevitable once his one hundred cousins belonging to the Kaurava dynasty refused to return even a few villages to the five Pandava brothers after their return from enforced exile, he looks at his cousins, uncles and friends standing on the other side of the battlefield and wonders whether he is morally prepared and justified in killing his blood relations even though it was he, along with his brother Bhima, who had courageously prepared for this war. Arjuna is certain that he would be victorious in this war since he has Lord Krishna (one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu) on his side. He is able to visualize the scene at the end of the battle; the dead bodies of his cousins lying on the battlefield, motionless and incapable of vengeance. It is then that he looses his nerve to fight.
ARJUNA- VISADA YOGA: Arjun has lost his morale and is disillusioned with the idea of fighting the war. He asks Krishna to move his chariot in between the two armies to see his relatives on both the sides.
Imagine a life where a person is able to understand their all of what they are capable. Once they were able to discover their potential, they were able to achieve their aspirations of career, academics, self-growth, ect. This is called self-fulfillment, the gratification of one's capabilities. Throughout the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna’s self-realization process is a journey of discovering enlightenment, and what it means to truly be spiritual. He struggles with understanding how to detach himself from action and how to let go of emotional ties to the people he cares about. During the course of the Gita, Krishna guides him to the “gratification of one’s capabilities.” I can relate to self- fulfillment through my experiences with Aikido, Ki in Daily
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.
When first looking at the relationship between philosophy and religion, I found it easier to explain the differences rather than the similarities. I began this paper the same way I do others. This generally involves a profound amount of research on the topic at hand. However, in contrast to the other papers I have done, the definitions of philosophy and religion only raised more questions for me. It was fascinating how the explanations differed dramatically from author to author.