We have started a new book, or in this case scripture. Before I started this scripture I decided to do a little bit of research since I had no idea whatsoever it was about. So I looked it up following many sources. The Bhagavad Gita is a sacred Hindu scripture. It is a book of ancient wisdom and one of the most important texts in philosophy and literature. It is essentially a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna before the Kurukshetra war. Once the research was done interpreting the text wasn’t as hard as I had thought it to be. In the first teaching Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya about the sons of Pandu and what they did when they went to battle. So Sanjaya begins to tell about Arjuna before the battle. Arjuna stops the chariot shortly before the battle and sees his family members. He is scared and doesn’t want to fight against them. “The magic bow slips from my hand, my skin burns, I cannot stand still, my mind reels. I see omens of chaos, Krishna; I see no good in killing my kinsmen in battle.” Arjuna is feeling the pressure to kill his family but his feelings won’t let him. This must have been a hard thing to face back then since the men had no choice but to fight in the sacred wars. Men were practically brought up without a conscience. Arjuna is showing resistance to society and the norm. This shows a lot about his character. Normally people who could stand to resist things like this are noble men or princes or kings. This shows hat maybe Arjuna comes from money. “Saying this is the time of war, Arjuna slumped into the chariot and laid down his bow and arrows, his mind tormented by grief.” There are lots of very impacting quotes in the first teaching. This one I think has a lot to do with resistance. He knows he has to fight but he won’t kill his own family. The first teaching as a whole I think has to do with honoring your family, and never hurting them, and resisting to pressures of society. This is a very good message especially back then when everything was about war. I am making a prediction of the rest of the scripture when I believe each teaching will have another message on life. Now I can see why they call it the book of wisdom.
Dear Sophia, I am confused when you say that men were brought up without a conscience. India is renown for it's centuries of thought regarding Dharma and Karma, and to this day, family is regarded with the same sacred thought as you would God. any Hindu or Indian can tell you this. This is Arjuna's struggle, not that he goes against pressures of his society, but that his conscience in regards to Hinduism prevents the desire to cause unnecessary harm, yet it is his duty to rule the kingdom as a righteous king, as his family would have ruled that land with cruelty and as thieves of the crown. This is where Krisna stepped in, telling him that for the sake of the kingdom, he must fight against his wicked family. There are many examples in Indian history that provide this kind of thinking, be it in historical books like this one, or in stories of the Gods and Godesses that are celebrated in festivals such as Holi and Diwali. While it may have been easier for him to fight against another army, fighting his family was his torment.
ReplyDeleteBut I love your blog, and you show great intelligent thought in your analysis. India is a greatly misunderstood country and civilization, and it's potential is beautiful and uncharted by most people. Because of this, inaccurate statements can cause stereotyping and ignorance. If you are reading European history books, you will find many mistakes and assumptions regarding the history and culture. India has kept it's own records, and a Christian society/thought process cannot understand the depths of Hinduism. Please try to do as much research as possible before making a statement regarding this great country. <3
ReplyDelete