User:Amitrochates/Bhagavad Gita

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Faced with a fratricidal war, a despondent Arjuna turns to his charioteer and guide Krishna for counsel on the battlefield. Krishna through the course of the Gita imparts to Arjuna wisdom, the path to devotion and the doctrine of selfless action. The Gita upholds the essence and philosophical traditions of the Upanishads. However, unlike the rigorous monism of the Upanishads, the Bhagvad Gita also integrates dualism and theism.

There have been numerous commentaries with widely differing views on the essentials of the Gita beginning with Adi Sankara's commentary on the Gita in the 8th century. Commentators see the setting of the Gita in a battlefield as an allegory for the ethical and moral struggles of the human life. The Gita's call for selfless action inspired many leaders of the Indian independence movement. Mahatma Gandhi referred to the Gita as his "spiritual dictionary".

Moksha

Liberation or Moksha in Vedanta thought was not something that could be acquired or reached. Ātman, the goal of Moksha, was something that was ever present as the essence of the self and could be revealed by deep intuitive knowledge. While Upanishads, in most part, focus on such a monistic viewpoint of liberation, Bhagavad Gita also emphasizes the dualistic and theistic aspects of Moksha. The Gita, while occasionally hinting at impersonal Brahman as the goal, depicts the relationship between Self and a personal God or Saguna Brahman. A synthesis of knowledge, devotion and desireless action is given as the prescription to Arjuna's despondence, as well as, the way to Moksha.

Dharma

Dhritarashtra in the first verse of the Bhagavad Gita, refers to the Kurukshetra as the 'Field of dharma'. Fowler believes, that dharma in this verse refers to the sanatana dharma or the eternal order which pervades the whole cosmos and is ultimately true and right. Therefore, 'Field of action' implies the field of righteousness, where truth will eventually triumph. However, both Aurobindo and Radhakrishnan see the 'Field of action' as the world, which was a "battleground for moral struggle".

Early in the text, responding to Arjuna's despondency, Krishna asks him to follow his Swadharma. Swa-dharma literally means work born out of one's nature and in this verse, is often interpreted as the varna dharma or the duty of a warrior. Eighteenth chapter of the Gita examines the relationship between swadharma and swabhava or essential nature. In this chapter, the swadharma of the individual is linked with the guṇas or tendencies arising out of one's swabhava. This allowed Aurobindo to deduce his doctrine that "the functions of a man ought to be determined by his natural turn, gift, and capacities". Gandhi found in the concept of swadharma, the basis for his idea of swadeshi. To him, Swadeshi was "swadharma applied to one's immediate environment".

Dating

Theories on the date of composition of the Bhagavad Gita vary considerably. Jeaneane Fowler writes that while scholars accept dates of fifth century BCE with a later demarcation of second century BCE, she thinks second century BCE to be the more probable date of composition. However, A.P. Sharma estimates the latest date of Mahabharata to be 1432 BCE, and holds the view that the Gita was composed between 3000-2000 BCE. Kashi Nath Upadhyaya, on the basis of estimates of dates of Mahabharata, Brahma sutras and other independent sources, concludes that Bhagavad Gita was composed between 5th and 4th centuries BCE. The actual dates of composition of Bhagavad Gita remain unresolved.

Fowler's Logic for the dates

Jeaneane Fowler writes that a cult of Vasudeva, Krishna's father arose possibly around 4th century BCE. While Krishna himself was possibly a real person who became a divine god later. Worship of Vasudeva is recorded as early as 5th to 6th centuries BCE. At some point the cult of Vasudeva and Krishna's Yadavas merged and both figures were amalgamated. The composition of Mahabharata may have started in 4th century BCE. Hence, Kirshna's nature as a clan leader comes to the fore but never as a major figure and certainly not as an incarnation. So for Krishna to have risen to the status of God on earth must have taken another few centuries. The fact that Krishna is seen as an incarnation, a God on earth, rather than a local cult figure in the Bhagavad Gita makes a date of late third century BCE to early second century BCE more probable.

Significance and Allegory

The Bhagavadgita is the knowledge of the Absolute, Brahmavidya, which is mentioned at the end of each chapter. The Upanishads being such, the Bhagavadgita which is regarded as the quintessence of the teachings of the Upanishads, is also venerated as an Upanishad. And, interestingly before us, it is mentioned in the plural, ‘Iti Srimad-Bhagavadgitasu Upanishatsu.’ It is not one Upanishad. It appears to be many Upanishads brought together in a forceful concentration.Perhaps, each chapter is an Upanishad by itself; each chapter is a message by its own status. So, it is a plurality of the Upanishads, and not one Upanishad merely. All the Upanishads are here, condensed in their supra-essential essence. So, it is said, ‘Bhagavadgitasu’, again, in the ‘songs’, not merely the song of the Lord. It is, therefore, a ‘Yoga-Shastra’, not only a Brahmavidya.

So, here we have Brahmavidya and Yoga-Shastra, the science of the Absolute and the practical teaching on yoga which is the art of coming in contact with the Absolute, and, it is, moreover, something delightfully wonderful and more incapable of ordinary imagination than what we have already noticed. It is a conversation between God and man, which meaning is conveyed by the phrase, ‘Krishnarjuna Samvada’, in the colophon. Krishna and Arjuna are taken as occasions for bringing into highlight the relationship that exists between the Absolute and the relative.

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The colophon at the end of each chapter in the Gita describes it as a brahma-vidya and a yoga-shastra. The description of Bhagavad Gita as a brahma-vidya or the science of the Absolute alludes to its similarity to the Upanishads. While as a brahma-vidya the Gita explains the relationship between the individual and the Absolute, as a yoga-shastra it imparts the skill of union with the Absolute. In the colophon, the Bhagavad Gita is also referred to as a compendium of Upanishads, implying that every single chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is a separate Upanishad. Therefore, the Gita is significant both as a textbook of yoga and as the quintessence of Upanishads.

Unlike any other religious scripture, the Bhagavad Gita broadcasts its message in the centre of the battlefield. Such an unsanctimonious setting for the delivery of a philosophical discourse has been an enigma to many commentators. Eknath Eswaran, Vivekanand. Swami Krishnanand regards the characters as symbolic of various facets of human thinking and attitude. The characters in the story are representative of the various moods, facets and vicissitudes of human life. He highlights the universal applicability of the Gita to human life by saying that 'It is not the story of some people living at some times but of all people living at all times".