...Ivyanne London Dr. Bryan English 2010 7 December 2012 The Bhagavad- Gita: Influence on Civil Disobedience Advocates Civil disobedience can be described as the nonviolent means of bringing about social change. The Bhagavad- Gita is a philosophical poem that attempts to ask difficult questions of universal issues that deal with the topic of civil disobedience. The messages that are told throughout the poem have had major influences on civil disobedience advocates such as Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. This work offers explanations that can be applied to dilemmas that can’t be resolved with a simple form of action. According to the Theosophical Society of America, The Bhagavad- Gita, commonly known as the “Gita” has been passed back and forth between America and India through these civil disobedience activists. They each had influences on each other along with the Gita. Some reoccurring themes that may have influenced Thoreau, Gandhi, and King include questions about the right way to live, seeking higher knowledge, and how no action is still a form of action. The version of The Bhagavad- Gita that is told in The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 3rd edition, begins with the moment of crisis in Arjuna’s mind. Arjuna is the middle son of his five brothers who are apart of the Pandavas. He is apart of the warrior caste and is the most skilled and feared archer of his time. They are about to engage in war with their cousins, the Kauravas, because...
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...COMPLETE WORKS OF SRI AUROBINDO Publisher’s Note The first series of Essays on the Gita appeared in the monthly review Arya between August 1916 and July 1918. It was revised by Sri Aurobindo and published as a book in 1922. The second series appeared in the Arya between August 1918 and July 1920. In 1928 Sri Aurobindo brought out an extensively revised edition in book form. For the present edition, the text has been thoroughly checked against all previous editions and against the manuscripts of the revised Arya. CONTENTS FIRST SERIES I Our Demand and Need from the Gita II 3 12 20 29 39 47 57 68 81 94 105 114 124 The Divine Teacher III The Human Disciple IV The Core of the Teaching V Kurukshetra VI Man and the Battle of Life VII The Creed of the Aryan Fighter VIII Sankhya and Yoga IX Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta X The Yoga of the Intelligent Will XI Works and Sacrifice XII The Significance of Sacrifice XIII The Lord of the Sacrifice CONTENTS XIV The Principle of Divine Works XV 134 145 158 168 177 188 200 212 224 234 247 The Possibility and Purpose of Avatarhood XVI The Process of Avatarhood XVII The Divine Birth and Divine Works XVIII The Divine Worker XIX Equality XX Equality and Knowledge XXI The Determinism of Nature XXII Beyond the Modes of Nature XXIII Nirvana and Works in the World XXIV The Gist of the Karmayoga SECOND SERIES Part I — The Synthesis of Works, Love and Knowledge I The Two Natures II 263 278 The Synthesis of Devotion and Knowledge...
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...19 Essays on the Gita VOLUME 19 THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SRI AUROBINDO © Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust 1997 Published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Publication Department Printed at Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press, Pondicherry PRINTED IN INDIA Essays on the Gita Publisher’s Note The first series of Essays on the Gita appeared in the monthly review Arya between August 1916 and July 1918. It was revised by Sri Aurobindo and published as a book in 1922. The second series appeared in the Arya between August 1918 and July 1920. In 1928 Sri Aurobindo brought out an extensively revised edition in book form. For the present edition, the text has been thoroughly checked against all previous editions and against the manuscripts of the revised Arya. CONTENTS FIRST SERIES I Our Demand and Need from the Gita 3 II The Divine Teacher 12 III The Human Disciple 20 IV The Core of the Teaching 29 V Kurukshetra 39 VI Man and the Battle of Life 47 VII The Creed of the Aryan Fighter 57 VIII Sankhya and Yoga 68 IX Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta 81 X The Yoga of the Intelligent Will 94 XI Works and Sacrifice 105 XII The Significance of Sacrifice 114 XIII The Lord of the Sacrifice 124 CONTENTS XIV The Principle of Divine Works 134 XV The Possibility and Purpose of Avatarhood 145 XVI The Process of Avatarhood 158 XVII The Divine Birth and Divine...
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...VARIOUS YOGIS Instructor: Dr.Aruna Lolla Name : Monica Adusumilli Id No :2014A7PS005H Date of Submission:30-October-2015 Introduction Bhagavad-Gita might have been delivered in the setting of a battle field, but illumined minds have found it very relevant in the past, present and future as well. "Here I am present as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I am the Supreme”, says Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita. Understanding, knowing and experiencing the supreme in total magnitude is beyond the capabilities of humans. In an attempt to advance as a spiritual being, it is essential that we understand the divine opulence. What is a Vibuthi? A Vibuthi might be a person, place or an object in which the divine manifests himself to a greater extent. The opulences (Vibuthies) of the Lord are infinite. Indeed, the Lord alone knows his internal potency and his manifestations are innumerable and countless. Only by the grace of the Supreme Person, origin of all, Lord of all beings, God of gods, Lord of the universe, one can try and understand the opulences of the Lord. Role of Vibhuties in Spiritual Pursuit: Lord SriKrishna in Vibuthi Yoga of Gita elucidates about some of his Vibuthies knowing about which, the supreme absolute can be easily attained. A lot of Yogis have identified themselves with the divine through Vibhuties. There are several occurrences where the gods, demi-gods...
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...will be discussing the beliefs and principles that Gandhi lived by. Gandhi, was also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born in Porbandar, in the modern state of Gujarat, on October 2, 1869, into a Hindu family. His parents belonged to the Vaisya caste of Hindu's. Gandhi was a shy and serious boy and grew up in an atmosphere of religious tolerance and acceptance of teachings of various Hindu sects. Gandhi was married at 13 years old, he married a girl named Kasturibhai. The wedding was arranged according to custom by his parents. The Gandhi's had four children. At the age of 19, Gandhi traveled to England to study law. During that time he began to develop his philosophy of life. He also studied the great Indian religious classic the Bhagavad-Gita and also turned to the New Testament of the Bible and to the teachings of Buddha. After finishing school, Gandhi returned to India to practice law but was unsuccessful. In 1893, Gandhi went to South Africa to do some legal work. South Africa was then under British rule. Almost immediately, he was abused because he was an Indian who claimed his rights as a British subject. He...
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...An Analysis of the Central Themes of The Bhagavad Gita and its Influence on Significant Historical Figures and Literature. Gavin McClung “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” -Eleanor Roosevelt The Bhagavad Gita has been estimated to have been in existence since about 500 BCE although the oldest known handwritten copy is in a museum in London and is dated to 1488. It predates the Bible, the Quran, and 50 Shades of Grey. As one of the oldest pieces of literature known to us it has gained a reputation as one of the most insightful tomes into the human condition and it’s philosophies and themes have influenced many of the most historically significant people and their actions. Mahatma Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry David Thoreau, and even Albert Einstein all read the Gita and were deeply moved by it. These are not normal run of the mill people, but were great thinkers, people of action and world-changers. Surely, the world has been influenced by such a powerful text through the many people it has inspired and taught with it’s central themes of Yoga and Renunciation, and Dharma and Karma among others. Here we will take a look at some of the major themes of the Gita as well as some of the historically significant figures it has influenced and...
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...Bhagavad Gita : A Motivational Management Book by M.P. Bhattathiri, Retired Chief Technical Examiner, to The Govt. of Kerala. Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Management guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita Old truths in a new context The source of the problem Utilisation of available resources Work commitment Motivation – self and self-transcendence Work culture Work results Manager's mental health Management needs those who practice what they preach In conclusion A note on the word "yoga". Abstract One of the greatest contributions of India to the world is Holy Gita which is considered to be one of the first revelations from God. The spiritual philosophy and management lessons in this holy book were brought in to light of the world by many great Indian saint's effort and they call the Bhagavad-Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical life. It provides "all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level." Maharishi reveals the deep, universal truths of life that speak to the needs and aspirations of everyone. Your followers in your establishment are continuing the mission by keeping this lantern burning always knowing the wishes of the modern generations. Arjuna got mentally depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight.( Mental health has become a major international public health concern now). To motivate him the Bhagavad-Gita is preached in the battle...
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...Meng Li Exam Essay 1 RELS-U277-001 Dr. Wessinger Hinduism is defined as an animistic Basic Religion. The term Basic Religion is created and introduced by an American historian of religions, Lewis M. Hopfe. Indigenous peoples “original inhabitants” who are living in simple economics and people who are living in industrialized and information economies practice Basic Religion in their daily lives. There are many characteristics of Basic Religion. For example, as other religions, Basic Religion also has an ultimate concern that is whether the believers are in harmony with sacred beings and forces. Also, for the view of human nature, Basic Religion emphasizes on the relationship between the living and the dead. For instance, the spirits of the dead will continue to exist, and the living and their ancestors will affect one another. Moreover, Animism is a term that is used to describe the cosmology of Basic Religion. Personal gods, impersonal forces throughout nature, in natural objects, animals, and humans, and spirits in nature are three very important components of Animism. Therefore, Animism is absolutely polytheistic. Monism is a philosophical term that asserts there’s only one ultimate reality that is considered to be the essence of all existing things in the world. As opposed to polytheism that believes in multiple gods, monotheism believes in only one god or the oneness of god. One of the evidence of Indian tradition’s oneness is Upanishads. These texts come at the end...
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...Religions are formed because people want something to believe in. People follow the ways of religions because there is order that tells people how to live their life and how to achieve the perfect afterlife. Although religions tell us these things, each religion goes about it differently. Indian Salvation Religions and Classical Mediterranean Christianity want the same things for their followers but the path to achieving that goal is very different. The Bhagavad Gita, “Song of the Blessed Lord” (reader pg. 73), is a document of the Indian Salvation Religion which is a sacred text that involves a story that explains perfect detachment through one’s caste duties. The Last Judgement is a Christian text that explains how everyone must stand before...
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...Understanding *Varnasrama* Through Bhagavat-dharma Introduction: In September 1972, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gave a series of "Bhagavat-dharma Discourses" in New Vrndavana. I was greatly blessed by being present for all of them. Prabhupada explicitly spelled out the relationship of the mission of ISKCON, Bhagavat-dharma, to varnasrama-dharma. This paper is composed of direct quotations from those discourses (apart from my own linking texts that simply introduce or summarize Prabhupada's words). The quotations are excerpted from an edited-for-publication compilation that Palace Press produced in 1983. The BBT Vedabase Folio can be consulted for the raw transcripts (look for the NV lectures from the first week of September '72). Below I do not credit the exact day upon which the quotations were made. Prabhupada's elucidation of particular subjects spanned several discourses; thus the quotations clubbed together around one point may not be from the same day. 1. Vedic *dharma* real and apparent This section of quotations shows that real Vedic dharma, or *varnasrama-dharma*, is *nivrtti-marga.* Accordingly, the *yajna* (sacrificial work) meant for each and every occupation of the social body's four parts aims at liberation. *Pravrti-marga*, "Hindu dharma," and modern technological society, are aimed at some kind of materialistic substitute for liberation. According to the Vedic system, there are two paths: *pravrtti-marga*...
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...Srimad Bhagavad Gita: A simple rendering by Swami Samarpanananda Srimad Bhagavad Gita : A simple rendering -- Swami Samarpanananda This work is a brief rendering of each chapter of Gita, and is meant to serve as an introductory reading of Gita for interested readers who find it difficult to comprehend the work. Necessary comments and explanations have been added wherever necessary to make it more intelligible. Serious readers, however, are advised to go through the original text/translation, preferably with a commentary. This work takes its interpretation from Sri Shankaracharya's commentary. Introduction Srimad Bhagavad Gita, or more popularly, Gita is the spiritual and philosophical heartbeat of India. The best that India has to give to the world in the fields of wisdom, religion, philosophy and spirituality is Gita. Whatever India has achieved in these area is poetically preserved in Sanskrit in this short work of seven hundred verses in eighteen chapters. The poetic beauty and the philosophical clarity of the work is unparalleled in the history of the world literature. Every Hindu lives and dreams in Gita, and when he dies, he is given a farewell of chants from Gita. Every practising Hindu makes it a point to recite from it daily, every philosophical Hindu tries to study and understand the work, and every mystic Hindu strives to mould...
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...is nearly fifty –five year old. He is depicted as a typical south Indian sweet vendor. His appearance is slight and elfish. He has brown, translucent skin. On his chin there were white bristles because he has habit of shave at certain intervals He wears a loose jibba over his dhoti both made of material spun with his own hand. Everyday he spun for on hour. 1. His daily routine:- Jagan is quite successful in his business He earns nearly one thousand rupees a day from his sweet shop. He has four cooks, one counter boy and a watchman as his staff. He has his throne at a central place in the shop. He could see the four cooks working in the kitchen and the boy at the counts from his throne. He used to read “Bhagvad Gita” there. Since early morning to 7:3o. His shop ran successfully it was his routine. The reason of His success was that he never allowed any compromise. He always used pure “Ghee” for making sweets. At six o’clock the counter boy used to bring the bronze jug filled with cash to him. At seven the boy had to bring another installment in a smaller container at seven. He made an entry in a small note book and then more elaborates entries in his account book. As the day got over, He used to look his door and asked the captain if it was all right. Then it as his time to leave forhome. 2. A Blind Follower Of Gandhiji. :- Jagan is the blind follower of Gandhiji. When Gandhiji had visited his town...
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...VISITATION REPORT: HINDUISM Hinduism Religion is a term that many people worldwide use to identify themselves. It is a set of conducts resulted from a belief system about the ultimate power. It is generally expressed as prayers, rituals, or other practices, often centered upon specific supernatural and moral claims about reality (the cosmos, and human nature) which may yield a set of religious laws. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience. Despite many differences between religions, there are also many similarities that outline the general nature of a religion. For instance, every religion emphasizes on the need to do good and to serve the society wholeheartedly, and not for any selfish motive. In order to understand a religion apart from one’s own, one needs to visit the religious institute or the centre of prayer for the religion. In order to explore more about Hinduism, I visited a Hindu temple called “Ram Temple”. Upon entering the temple, I was required to take off footwear and place it on the shoe racks available. There were also coat racks available in the room to put our coats away. Once I took my shoes off I walked through a long hallway where I saw many different colourful pictures and paintings of the temples and the Hindu deities. [pic] The Murtis I saw upon entering the temple Then I entered the main praying hall which consisted...
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...Bhajagovindam or Moha Mudgara of Adi Shankaracharya A Layman's Commentary This layman’s commentary on Bhajagovindam is made so that those who have not read the great work of the most revered Jagat Guru Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada would be prompted to do so and study it with the help of an authoritative commentary. Prayer: “Om Sthaapakaaya cha dharmasya sarva dharma swaroopine Avataara varishthaya Ramakrishnaayate namah” ("I bow to Sri Ramakrishna, the most Supreme among all Incarnations of God, who established Dharma (religion) and who is the embodiment of all dharmas") ******************************************************************************************* Let us start with what the great Rajaji (C.Rajagopalachari) said about Bhajagovindam: RAJAJI’S INTRODUCTION “Adi Sankaracharya wrote a number of Vedantic works for imparting knowledge of the Self and the Universal Spirit. He also composed a number of hymns to foster Bhakti in the hearts of men. One of these hymns is the famous Bhajagovindam. The way of devotion is not different from the way of knowledge or Jnana. When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life, and issues out in action, it becomes Bhakti. Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature, is Bhakti. If it does not get transformed into Bhakti, such knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that Jnana and Bhakti, knowledge and devotion, are different from each other, is ignorance...
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...In Islamic religion, Muslims believe that there is only one God and Muhammad, his messenger. Hindus on the other hand, is a religion that was not founded by a certain individual. Even most writers of the sacred texts of Hinduism, remain unknown. The Islamic belief system includes 6 articles of faith which are fundamental beliefs that there is only one God (Allah), angels of God, prophets of God, revealed books of God, the day of judgment and the divine decree (sometimes shortened to 5 articles of faith leaving out the belief in the supremacy of God's will). Typically when people think of Hinduism, the first thing that comes to mind is multiple gods. I was told by my step grandfather, who had practiced Hinduism most of his life, that Hinduism can vary and not to think Hindus follow a set religion. He explained to me that it depends on the person and whether or not they think there is only one God or millions. Hinduism can actually span over many different belief systems including pantheism (God and the universe are the same) or henotheism (belief in one god but not denying the existence of others). Despite all of the talk about Hinduism being polytheistic, there is one universal "God" called Brahman (although simultaneously a triad of deities). This is up to the follower on whether they think Brahman is considered their one God worshipped among a million of others. If so, I would believe Hinduism might be recognized as henotheistic. Conversely in Islamic religion, Muslims simply...
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