What does the Bhagavad Gita teach?
In this text, we want to show the main thoughts and themes the Bhagavad Gita deals with. We aim to point out the answers the “Song of the Lord”1 gives to such important questions
as “How can we reach liberation from all evil and sins?, Which image should we
have about God? What does it mean to love God? What is the importance of
meditation?” and others. We will not write a comprehensive summary but stress
those issues which are essential to understand the message of this book and to
assess them from a Christian point of view.
Setting
and context of the Bhagavad Gita
It is an episode in the
6th book of India’s great epic, the Mahabharata. The main story of this poem is
the war between the Kauravas and their cousins, the Pandavas. Just at the
beginning of the battle Arjuna, the bravest warrior of the Pandavas, refuses to
fight and Krishna, the incarnation of the great god Vishnu and now the helper
of the Pandavas as a charioteer of Arjuna, endeavours to convince him to
fulfil his caste-duty. That’s the starting point of the Bhagavad Gita in which
Krishna explains to Arjuna the most profound things about man and god.2
Krishna
explains why Arjuna should fight against his relatives in the war: Fulfilling
one’s duty
Krishna has come as the
incarnated god Vishnu to set up righteousness again.
For
the protection of the good, for the destruction of evil-doers, for the setting
up of the law of righteousness I come into being age after age. (Bhagavad Gita
4:8)3
First of all, he argues
that the individual self is immortal and cannot be killed.
Never
is it born nor dies; never did it come to be nor will it ever come to be again:
unborn, eternal, everlasting is this [self]4, —primeval. It is not slain when the
body is slain. (Bhagavad Gita 2:20)
Furthermore, reincarnation
is a self-evident fact, Krishna says in chapter 2:
For
sure is the death of all that is born, sure is the birth of all that dies: so
in a matter that no one can prevent you have no cause to grieve. (Bhagavad Gita
2:27)
He reminds the warrior
Arjuna of his caste-duty …
Likewise
consider your own [caste-]duty, then too you have no cause to quail (means: to
feel frightened); for better than a fight prescribed by law is nothing for a
man of the princely class. (Bhagavad Gita 2:31)
… and his honour in front
of other fighters.
From fear he fled the battlefield—so will they think of you, the mighty charioteers.
Greatly esteemed by them before, you will bring contempt upon yourself.
(Bhagavad Gita 2:35)
Interestingly Krishna
never argues with the fact that this war is a righteous fight against evil
people. This fits the fact that the unjust leader of the Kauravas Duryodhana,
who rejected Krishna, entered paradise because he died in the battle facing the
enemy and thus fulfilled his duty.5 Can
someone who is an enemy of God, acting unrighteously, make his way into
paradise only because he fulfilled his caste-duty? Shouldn’t our deeds rather
be determined by God who wants to show us his will in every situation?
Renunciation
of the fruits of works through spiritual exercise
The Gita then elaborates
on the thought of detachment and renunciation which is emphasized again and
again as a means to gain wisdom—an idea that occurs also in Buddhism. Arjuna
should not think of the consequences or fruits of his works, he should act free
from the effect of deeds which bind him.
Stand
fast in Yoga, surrendering attachment; in success and failure be the same and
then get busy with your works. (Bhagavad Gita 2:48)
Yoga (see next section)
is the practice by which one gains sameness with everything that is Brahman6. Chapter 2 then speaks about the
liberation of reincarnation through renouncing the fruits of works.
For
those wise men who are integrated by the soul, who have renounced the fruit
that is born of works, these will be freed from the bondage of [re-]birth and
fare to that region that knows no ill. (Bhagavad Gita 2:51)
Krishna points at himself
as an example of acting without attachment.
Works
can never affect Me. I have no yearning for their fruits. Whoso would know that
this is how I am will never be bound by works. (Bhagavad Gita 4:14)
The ultimate goal is to
achieve Nirvana, to reach the fixed, still state of Brahman which is beyond
space and time, detached from any influence, desires and even every emotion and
thought. That’s the state of highest joy according to the Gita.
Winning
some pleasant thing [the sage] will not rejoice, nor shrink disquietened when
the unpleasant comes his way: steadfast-and-still his soul, [all] unconfused,
he will know Brahman, in Brahman [stilled] he’ll stand. [His] self detached
from contacts with the outside world, in [him]self he finds his joy, [his]self
in Brahman integrated by spiritual exercise, he finds unfailing joy. (Bhagavad
Gita 5:20–21)
Whoever’s a self is
controlled because his soul is steadfast and still, finds joy and light within
himself.
His
joy within, his bliss within, his light within, the man
who-is-integrated-in-spiritual-exercise becomes Brahman and draws nigh (means:
near) to Nirvana that is Brahman too. (Bhagavad Gita 5:24)
In this verse the
Buddhist term “Nirvana” is equated with “Brahman.” On the one hand the Buddhist
Nirvana is the destruction of life as we know it. On the other hand it is
understood as a state of liberation, an abolishment of individuality. The Gita
though goes even further than this. In the last verse of chapter 5 it says that
by knowing Krishna, which hints at a relationship with him as a personal God,
one can find peace. This is actually a contradiction to the impersonal concept
of Brahman.
Knowing
Me to be the proper object of sacrifice and mortification, great Lord of all
the worlds, friend of all contingent (means: depending) beings, he reaches
peace. (Bhagavad Gita 5:29)
Nevertheless, the thought
of renouncing every attachment is not given up but expressed also in later
chapters. The teaching of finding joy and satisfaction in one’s self alone and
being detached of everything that’s connected with works includes even the
rejection of gladness and the love for what is good as well as the rejection of
evil.
Who
has no love for anything, who rejoices not at whatever good befalls (means:
something pleasant happens to somebody) him nor hates the bad that comes his
way—firm-stablished is the wisdom of such a man. (Bhagavad Gita 2:57)
Having a neutral attitude
towards everyone is praised. However, it is not taught that the aim of
approaching everyone, in the same way, is to love actively or overcome egoistic
preferences in relationships. The aim is rather indifference and passivity.
Outstanding
is he whose soul views in the selfsame way friends, comrades, enemies, those
indifferent, neutrals, men who are hateful and those who are his kin—the good
and the evil too. (Bhagavad Gita 6:9)
Does this really fit our
human nature which loves what is true and good and hates what is bad? Does it
fit our nature which wants to become active for the sake of doing good in helping
the one who is in need for instance?
Recommended
acts of devotion: Sacrifice and meditation
Gita’s understanding of
sacrifice underlines the importance of the attitude of love by exceeding the
a simple view of “What I give to God, I will get in return.”
Be
it a leaf or flower or fruit or water that a zealous soul may offer Me with
love’s devotion, that do I [willingly] accept, for it was love that made the
offering. (Bhagavad Gita 9:26)
However, offerings to all
different gods are accepted because it is anyway Krishna who ultimately
receives every sacrifice.
Even
those who lovingly devote themselves to other gods and sacrifice to them, full
filled [sic] with faith, do really worship Me though the rite may differ from
the norm. For it is I who of all sacrifices am recipient and Lord, but they do
not know Me as I really am, and so they fall [back into the world of men].
(Bhagavad Gita 9:23–24)
Wouldn’t a loving God
want his worshippers to know whom they are serving and how they should serve
instead of leaving them in ignorance? In other verses the personal relationship
with Krishna is emphasised but here it seems that he does not desire this. He
is satisfied with ritualistic worship given to other gods.
Eating sacrificed food
purifies from all blemish.
Good
men who eat the leavings of the sacrifice are freed from every taint (means:
effect of something bad), but the evil are they and evil do they eat who cook
[only] for their own sakes. (Bhagavad Gita 3:13)
Another recommended means
is to meditate on Krishna as described in chapter 6:
Let
the athlete of the spirit ever integrate [him] self-standing in a place apart,
alone, his thoughts and self-restrained (means: showing calm control rather
than emotion), devoid of [earthly] hope, possessing nothing. Let him set up for
[him]self a steady seat in a clean place, neither too high nor yet too low,
bestrewn with a cloth or hide or grass. There let him sit and make his mind a
single point, let him restrain the operations of his thought and senses and
practise integration to purify the self. [Remaining] still, let him keep body,
head, and neck in a straight line, unmoving; let him fix his eye on the tip of
his nose, not looking round about him. [There] let him sit, [his] self all
stilled, his fear all gone, firm in his vow of chastity, his mind controlled,
his thoughts on me, integrated, intent on me. (Bhagavad Gita 6:10–14)
Keeping oneself perfectly
still and concentrating on god one can reach the state of Brahman which in
itself is total stillness, not influenced or moved by anything. Although one
should concentrate on god while meditating the whole passage reflects a strong
concentration on oneself and emphasizes the right posture in a clean place.
Image
of God: Pantheistic7 and panentheistic8 view on the one hand and theistic9 view, on the other hand, merged
together
Which image of God does
the Bhagavad Gita have? First of all, one can find statements reflecting a
pantheistic or even panentheistic understanding. Krishna says in 7:4–5:
Eightfold
divided is my Nature—thus: earth, water, fire and air, space, mind and also
the soul—and the ego. This is the lower: but other than this I have a higher
Nature; this too must you know. [And this is Nature] developed into life by
which this world is kept in being. (Bhagavad Gita 7:4–5)
He identifies himself
with the material world but also with a higher form of existence which
“developed into life.” This expression means the totality of conscious matter
that sustains the whole world because each individual, conscious self is a
“part” of God as expressed in 15:7:
A
part of Me in the living world, eternal, becomes a lively soul, attracting to
itself the mind and senses, Nature making whole. (Bhagavad Gita 15:7)10
Further examplatory
verses are in chapter 7:
I
am Flavour in the water, in the moon and sun I am the Light, sacred Word in all the
Vedas, Sound in space and manhood’s Might. I am Fragrance in the earth, the
Flames that in the fire, I am Life in every being, Asceticism (means: to
renounce physical pleasures for religious reasons) in men austere (means: strict
and serious). (Bhagavad Gita 7:8–9)11
As mentioned already
above, Gita uses Buddhist terms and thoughts saying that yoga as a spiritual
exercise has its goal in the “unlinking of the link with suffering-and-pain”
(Bhagavad Gita 6:23). For a Buddhist, it is the highest joy if the self becomes
Nirvana. However, they do not speak about God as a distinct being or absolute
entity12 as the Gita does. Gita then
also includes a monistic13 point of view on the teachings
of Krishna. A monist who identifies the human individual soul with the ground
of the whole universe can find his view presented in chapter 6 for example.
With
self integrated by spiritual exercise he sees the self in all beings standing,
all beings in the self: the same in everything he sees. Who sees Me everywhere,
who sees the All in Me, for him, I am not lost, nor is he lost to Me. (Bhagavad
Gita 6:29–30)
The latter part of verse
30 seems to allude to an individual existence in eternity in contrast to the
idea of the self-being dissolved in the universal soul like a drop of water in
the sea. The theistic conception becomes more and more visible in the later
chapters. Krishna’s sovereignty over Brahman can be seen in chapter 14:
For
I am the base supporting Brahman,—immortal [Brahman] which knows no
change,—[supporting] too the eternal law of righteousness and absolute
beatitude. (Bhagavad Gita 14:27)
Fools
think of me as one unmanifest who has reached manifestation: they know nothing
of my higher state, the Changeless, All-Highest. Since [my] creative power and
the way I use it conceal Me, I am not revealed to all; this world, deluded, knows
Me not—[Me,] the Unborn and Changeless. Beings past and present and yet to come
I know: but there is no one at all that knows me. (Bhagavad Gita 7:24–26)
Although qualities like
“unborn,” “changeless,” and “highest” can with difficulty be referred to God as an impersonal power, they best fit a theistic understanding. The mentioned feature of omniscience and the might created in verse 25 underline this interpretation.
Krishna’s revelations about the origin of the world again demonstrate how pantheistic and panentheistic ideas on the one hand and theistic ideas, on the other hand, are mingled together.
Great Brahman is to Me a womb, in it I plant the seed: from this derives the origin of all contingent beings. In whatever womb, whatever form arises-and-grows-together, of those Great Brahman is the womb, I the father and giver of the seed. (Bhagavad Gita 14:3–4)
Gita’s understanding of creation is not merely a pantheistic emanation14 of Krishna because he is the absolute Spirit, the Unmanifest beyond the perishable—“… in him all beings
subsist, by Him this universe is spun” (Bhagavad Gita 8:22). Here in chapter 14
Krishna is greater than Brahman which fits the panentheistic view although
terms like “father” and “giver of the seed” remind us rather of a theistic
understanding. On the other hand, it is still different from the monotheistic15 Judeo-Christian concept of
creation out of nothing through God’s word. If we compare the following two
passages it becomes difficult to grasp the concept of God this book conveys.
It
is I who pour out heat, hold back the rain and send it forth: deathlessness am
I and death, what is and what is not. (Bhagavad Gita 9:19)
I
will tell you what should be known: once a man knows it, he attains to
immortality. The highest Brahman it is called,—beginningless,—It is not Being
nor is It Not-Being. (Bhagavad Gita 13:12)
The highest Brahman means
here Krishna’s nature as we have seen in 7:5 (Krishna is life which upholds the
world) as well as in chapter 8:3 (“The Imperishable is the highest Brahman; it
is called inherent nature in so far as it appertains (means: to belong to) to
[an individual] self,—as the creative force known as works which give rise to
the natures of contingent (means: depending) beings.”) where it is the
“Imperishable.” Because Bhagavad Gita wants to include different
philosophically contradictory world views, it ends up with statements that God
is nothing and everything.
Krishna
loves man and should be loved and worshipped
The source of all am I; from Me, all things proceed this knowing, wise men commune with me in love, filled with warm affection. (Bhagavad Gita 10:8)
It is clear that only a personal being can be loved.
On Me your mind, on Me your loving-service, for Me your sacrifice, to Me be your prostration: now that you have thus integrated self, your striving bent on Me, to Me you will come. (Bhagavad Gita 9:34)
It has already been pointed out in chapter 6 that the yogin who renounced every attachment and found liberation still lacks the adoration to God. The perfect spiritual man turns in love and worship to God—this goes beyond the Buddhist aim of becoming Brahman (which is Nirvana) and seeing oneself in everything and everything in oneself.
But of all athletes of the spirit, the man of faith who love-and-honours Me, his inmost self absorbed in Me—he is the most fully integrated: this is what I believe.
(Bhagavad Gita 6:47)
Krishna’s love for man is expressed in the strongest way at the end of the Gita.
And
now again give ear to this my highest Word, of all the most mysterious: “I love
you well.” Therefore will I tell you about your salvation. Bear Me in mind, love Me
and worship Me, sacrifice, prostrate yourself to Me: so will you come to Me, I
promise you truly, for you are dear to Me. Give up all things of the law, turn to
Me, your only refuge, I will deliver you from all evils; have no care.
(Bhagavad Gita 18:64–66)
It is visible that the
pantheistic and panentheistic understanding on the one hand and the theistic
understanding, on the other hand, are merged together. There is no clear
distinction between the two. However, the thought of a personal God whom we
should devote our lives to is given clear preference.
In a
vision Krishna is seen as the transcendent16 body of the whole world
In chapter 11 Krishna
reveals his divine majesty to Arjuna which can be regarded as the climax of the
whole book. The bow warrior sees God with a celestial eye:
Arms,
bellies, mouths and eyes all manifold—so do I see You wherever I may
look—infinite your form! End, middle, or again beginning I cannot see in You, O
Monarch Universal, [manifest] in every form! (Bhagavad Gita 11:16)
The whole universe is
seen in this vision as the body of Krishna …
Then
did the son of Pandu see the whole universe in One converged, there in the body
of the God of God, yet divided out in multiplicity. (Bhagavad Gita 11:13)
… and everything enters
his mouth …
On
every side You lick, lick up,—devouring,—worlds, universes, everything,—with
burning mouths. Vishnu! Your dreadful rays of light fill the whole universe
with flames-of-glory, scorching [everywhere]. (Bhagavad Gita 11:30)
In contrast to the
theistic teaching that differentiates between the creator (as spirit) and his
creation, Krishna appears as the transcendent body of all matter and all
immaterial individual selves, as the one all unifying absolute self. He lives
in everyone whether that person’s life is good or bad.
Selfishness,
force and pride, desire and anger, [these do] they rely on, envying and hating
Me who dwell in their bodies as I dwell in all. (Bhagavad Gita 16:18)
Such a doctrine is
unacceptable for someone who believes in an absolutely good God who does not
partake in any evilness. The God of the Christians withdraws from everyone who
misuses his free will for a selfish, godless life.
Love
towards others?: Conclusion
If we look for an answer
to how a spiritual man should behave towards other people we find some general
qualities like being “truthful, free from anger, renouncing, compassionate to
beings, free from greed, gentle, modest, and patient” in the beginning of
chapter 16. In the whole book of the Bhagavad Gita, no mention is made of
brotherly love and all that it includes, like helping our brothers in faith in
their spiritual growth and endeavouring for people that they find the path to
salvation. Instead one should meditate alone, being aware of the right or wrong
body posture. Without thinking whether it is right or wrong he should fulfil
his caste-duty. All this is expected to be done in a state liberated from any
kind of fruits of works. This means to be free from every emotion and thought
because these would lead to attachment and bondage. This is not surprising
because the Gita, in spite of presenting Krishna as the only one and personal
God, and in this way overcomes the pantheistic and Buddhist approach, does not
draw clear lines. In fact, Gita wants to use former considerations of
Hinduism by ascribing them a lower level of recognition of how to gain
liberation. It stops midway. A verse in chapter 4 shows the limited view of a
personal God:
In
whatsoever way men approach me, in that same way does I return their love.
Wherever they may be, men follow in my footsteps. (Bhagavad Gita 4:11)
This reminds rather of a
mechanical law that simply repays and not of a personal supreme being who loves
the sinner and forgives the transgressions so as to help the weak and burdened
out of their sins to live a life in joyful relationship with their creator.
Footnotes:
1.
Bhagavad
Gita literally means “Song of the Lord.”
2.
But
as we learn from the 14th book of the Mahabharata Arjuna proves unworthy of
receiving the divine mystery because he forgot every single word of the Gita
and therefore Krishna had to repeat it.
3.
Out
of numerous translations we have chosen R.C. Zaehner’s because of its
objectivity. If not otherwise mentioned all quotations are taken from his book:
The Bhagavad Gita, with a commentary based on the original sources, R.C.
Zaehner, Oxford University Press 1969.
4.
Text
in these brackets is added for easier understanding.
5.
18th
book of the Mahabharata 1:4–5.
6.
Brahman
is the transcendent (surpassing physical existence) and immanent (existing
within the world, opposite of transcendent) ultimate reality of Hinduism.
7.
Pantheism
is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent abstract, not
personal God; or that God is synonymous with the material universe.
8.
Panentheism
believes that God exists and interpenetrates every part of nature. It claims
that God is greater than the universe and that the universe is contained within
God.
9.
Theism
is the belief in at least one personal deity.
10. Quoted from The Bhagavad
Gita, a verse translation, Geoffrey Parrinder, Research Press 1999.
11. Quoted from The Bhagavad
Gita, a verse translation, Geoffrey Parrinder, Research Press 1999.
12. An entity is something
that has a distinct, separate existence.
13. Monism in general means
that there is unity in a particular field of inquiry. Here it holds that the
human individual soul is the same as the divine ground of the whole universe.
14. Emanation (“to flow
from”) means that all things derive from God or first Principle by degrading to
the multiplicity of all beings and objects whereas God is not clearly distinct
from the world.
15. Monotheism states that
there is only one personal God who is the creator of the whole universe and
distinct from his creation.
16. Transcendent means
surpassing physical existence.
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