Tag: bhagavad gita

The Bhagavad Gita and Mohandas Gandhi

The Bhagavad Gita, or “Song of God,” is one of the most influential Hindu religious texts. It is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, which tells of a war between two sets of relatives. The Bhagavad Gita opens with Arjuna, the leader of one side, despairing at the thought of killing his kinsmen. His charioteer, Krishna – who later reveals himself as a god – urges him to do his duty as a noble by leading his men into battle. Krishna reassures Arjuna that our souls are immortal, so he cannot truly kill anyone. He then goes on to tell Arjuna of three ways that the soul can be freed from the cycle of death and rebirth. The soul can be freed through karma yoga, doing one’s duty without self-interest in the consequences of one’s actions; through jnana yoga, or withdrawal and concentration that lead to knowledge; and through bhakti yoga, or devotion to God.

Mohandas Gandhi led India’s independence movement in the early twentieth century. He credited the Bhagavad Gita with helping him to cope with life’s tragedies. Based on what you know of Mohandas Gandhi, write about the influence of the Bhagavad gita on his life and work.

The Bhagavad Gita: The Eternal “This”

This is a quote from the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most influential Hindu religious texts.

Know that to be imperishable whereby all this is pervaded. No one can destroy that immutable being…. This is never born nor ever dies, nor having been will ever not be any more; unborn, eternal, everlasting, ancient, this is not slain when the body is slain…. As a man casts off worn-out garments and takes others that are new, even so the embodied one casts off worn-out bodies and passes on to others new. This no weapons wound, this no fire burns, this no waters wet, this no wind doth dry. Beyond all cutting, burning, wetting and drying is this – eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable, everlasting. Perceivable neither by the senses nor by the mind, this is called unchangeable; therefore knowing this as such thou shouldst not grieve.

Use your knowledge of Hinduism to explain what the text is saying.