Notice that what we mean by "yoga" is different from what Krishna means. A yoga is a path to God (our word "yoke" comes from it), to yoke the Atman to the Brahman. Images used in these posts are from Wikimedia Commons.
Gita 5:29. "Knowing me as the enjoyer of all worship, the Lord of all worlds, the dearest friend of all beings, that man gains perfect peace."
The first phrase of this line is very similar to God's statement in the Bible in the Old Testament that He is a jealous God. Knowing how all inclusive Hinduism tends to be, it seems very likely that the authors of the Bhagavad Gita could have incorporated some stories from the Bible into their work. (I do realize, though, that these Hindus had probably never even heard of Judaism at that time.) Speaking of inclusiveness, Krishna shows his love for all men, regardless of race, when he states that he is "the dearest friend of all beings." This quality distinguishes Krishna from the Muslim god, who is regarded as glorious and powerful beyond imagination and, presumably, too perfect for friendship with a mortal man. Krishna's statement also makes it clear that his worshipers are expected to have a very intimate relationship with him. However, this line brings up a couple of questions. Are Hindus at perfect peace when they achieve detachment from results? Or are they more at peace when they reach heaven? Speaking of heaven, do Hindus generally believe in a specific heaven, such as Christians do?
5.2 "Renunciation and yoga both leadto the ultimate good; but of the two paths, Arjuna, yoga is the more direct."
This line directly reflects Hindu belief that there are many different paths but all lead to God. Just as many different paths are accepted, Krishna accepts both renunciation and yoga as a way to the ultimate good. Krishna does however perfer yoga over renunciation as a more direct path. This explains why there seems to be a larger emphasis on yoga throughout the piece (or atleast the first few chapters as I havent read the whole piece).
In response to the questions in the previous post it would seem to me that considering the wide range of accepted beliefs some Hindus would believe that they reach perfect peace when they achieve detachment from results and others are at more peace when they reach heaven, and that there are probably a lot of Hindus who have different views of Heaven.
There are temporary heavens in the Hindu cosmology, like the heaven of Indra. You can be reborn there and stay for awhile, maybe kalpas, but then you will be reborn again, perhaps in a lower form. Moksha is complete reunion with God and is not really a place at all. Another good question is, once you've achieved Moksha, might you re-enter samsara to help others?
Gita 5.18 “Wise men regard all beings as equal: a learned priest, a cow, an elephant, a rat, or a filthy, rat-eating outcaste.”
In this section of the Gita, Krishna was explaining to Arjuna what the best path to God is, and of course there wasn’t a specific answer. He says that all the paths are the best way. He then goes off into mini rants about other religious topics. This section is very interesting to me because they have the “castes” system, but this says that all beings are equal. In this section, he says that a priest and an outcaste are both equal. How can this be true when they are put into different castes and clearly labeled as “less?” I like how Krishna says this though and how he wants people to believe it. I like that idea of a cow, rat, and person all being equal. Although I don’t live by that philosophy, I think it’s a great thought and a really cool lifestyle.
5.8-12 (p. 83) "Offering his actions to God, he is free of all action; rolls off him, as drops of water roll off a lotus leaf." The reason why I picked these lines is because I see somewhat of a comparison to Christianity and Hinduism. In my opinion these lines basically say that if you tell god or your sins no matter what god it is that you worship that your sins will all be forgive and go away with no problem at all. I think is like Christianity because some of us go to repent our sins and then God forgives us and gives us just some simple prayers or other thing to do so we are forgiven. All though there aren't to many similarity between the two religions I picked these lines because for once I did find some what of a similarity.
"He who finds peace and joy and radiance within himself-- that man becomes one with God and vanishes into God's bliss." 5.24
This passage supports the Advaita Vedanta theory of Hinduism-- that once you have reached enlightenment, you literally become God and retain no differences from him. Krishna states that once someone has perfect knowledge, that person "vanishes into God's bliss." He implies that the enlightened man ceases to exist in any form outside of God. This statement is interesting because it directly contradicts the belief of the majority of Hindus, the belief that when you die, you exist alongside God but still maintain your individuality. Additionally, Krishna brings attention to the fact that a person "finds peace and joy and radiance" not in a church or through a priest or in a book, but "within himself." Perfect happiness is attainable for everyone in Hunduism because Krishna preaches that everyone has it in themselves to begin with.
5.19-"Freed from tne endless cycle of birth and death, they can act impartially toward all beings, since to them all beings are the same." This line talks about everyone being equal. The reason that this is so is because everything has God in it, and if everything has God in it, every person is equal in wise men eyes Krishna says. I find it so interesting that to these wise men, every person is equal because of God being within them. I have always learned that each person is different and unique; not any carbon copies. Even though this is still true, if you look deep down within yourself, you will find God, and in other believers, if you look deep within, God is there also. So, that is why you can act impartial to all beings.
5.4 "Fools say that knowledge and yoga are separate, but the wise do not. when you practice one of them deeply, you gain the rewards of both." Krishna is talking to Arjuna and is saying that there is no difference in yoga and knowlege. Fools say that the two are different, yet the wise know that they are combined because the path to God is through knowlege. one must have knowleged to know God. there is no one without the other.
"Even if you were the most evil of evildoers, Arjuna wisdom is the boat that would carry you across the sea of all sins."
Krishna tries to make vivid the simplicity of understanding wisdom. He gives an example of evildoers that it requires wisdom to sin also; because the person has to know the accurate procedures to accomplish his act. So, Krishna explains that the real difference is what he use your wisdom to do. Also with stating this fact, Krishna is trying to make Arjuna understand that using wisdom wisely requires the correct practices of yoga. Unlike sinners, it takes profound thinking and the right actions with the mind to attain his goal. And interestingly, before Krishna goes in detail about wisdom he mentions that there are many paths to God; this is why Krishna teaches Arjuna the different yogas.
"Pleasures from external objects are wombs of suffering, Arjuna. They have their beginnings and their ends; no wise man seeks joy among them." (5.22) I find this statement to be very wise. Krishna is explaining how the only thing you can find pleasure in, is your self. The idea of basing ones sole happiness on another person or on possessions is a foolish path. People around you will pass, and possesions will be lost or destroyed. Everything around us will bring pleasure as well as sadness but at one point there has to be an ending. Why let our senses win when they can only bring saddness?
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Gita 5:29. "Knowing me as the enjoyer of all worship, the Lord of all worlds, the dearest friend of all beings, that man gains perfect peace."
The first phrase of this line is very similar to God's statement in the Bible in the Old Testament that He is a jealous God. Knowing how all inclusive Hinduism tends to be, it seems very likely that the authors of the Bhagavad Gita could have incorporated some stories from the Bible into their work. (I do realize, though, that these Hindus had probably never even heard of Judaism at that time.) Speaking of inclusiveness, Krishna shows his love for all men, regardless of race, when he states that he is "the dearest friend of all beings." This quality distinguishes Krishna from the Muslim god, who is regarded as glorious and powerful beyond imagination and, presumably, too perfect for friendship with a mortal man. Krishna's statement also makes it clear that his worshipers are expected to have a very intimate relationship with him. However, this line brings up a couple of questions. Are Hindus at perfect peace when they achieve detachment from results? Or are they more at peace when they reach heaven? Speaking of heaven, do Hindus generally believe in a specific heaven, such as Christians do?
5.2 "Renunciation and yoga both leadto the ultimate good; but of the two paths, Arjuna, yoga is the more direct."
This line directly reflects Hindu belief that there are many different paths but all lead to God. Just as many different paths are accepted, Krishna accepts both renunciation and yoga as a way to the ultimate good. Krishna does however perfer yoga over renunciation as a more direct path. This explains why there seems to be a larger emphasis on yoga throughout the piece (or atleast the first few chapters as I havent read the whole piece).
In response to the questions in the previous post it would seem to me that considering the wide range of accepted beliefs some Hindus would believe that they reach perfect peace when they achieve detachment from results and others are at more peace when they reach heaven, and that there are probably a lot of Hindus who have different views of Heaven.
There are temporary heavens in the Hindu cosmology, like the heaven of Indra. You can be reborn there and stay for awhile, maybe kalpas, but then you will be reborn again, perhaps in a lower form. Moksha is complete reunion with God and is not really a place at all. Another good question is, once you've achieved Moksha, might you re-enter samsara to help others?
Gita 5.18 “Wise men regard all beings as equal: a learned priest, a cow, an elephant, a rat, or a filthy, rat-eating outcaste.”
In this section of the Gita, Krishna was explaining to Arjuna what the best path to God is, and of course there wasn’t a specific answer. He says that all the paths are the best way. He then goes off into mini rants about other religious topics. This section is very interesting to me because they have the “castes” system, but this says that all beings are equal. In this section, he says that a priest and an outcaste are both equal. How can this be true when they are put into different castes and clearly labeled as “less?” I like how Krishna says this though and how he wants people to believe it. I like that idea of a cow, rat, and person all being equal. Although I don’t live by that philosophy, I think it’s a great thought and a really cool lifestyle.
5.8-12 (p. 83) "Offering his actions to God, he is free of all action; rolls off him, as drops of water roll off a lotus leaf." The reason why I picked these lines is because I see somewhat of a comparison to Christianity and Hinduism. In my opinion these lines basically say that if you tell god or your sins no matter what god it is that you worship that your sins will all be forgive and go away with no problem at all. I think is like Christianity because some of us go to repent our sins and then God forgives us and gives us just some simple prayers or other thing to do so we are forgiven. All though there aren't to many similarity between the two religions I picked these lines because for once I did find some what of a similarity.
"He who finds peace and joy
and radiance within himself--
that man becomes one with God
and vanishes into God's bliss."
5.24
This passage supports the Advaita Vedanta theory of Hinduism-- that once you have reached enlightenment, you literally become God and retain no differences from him. Krishna states that once someone has perfect knowledge, that person "vanishes into God's bliss." He implies that the enlightened man ceases to exist in any form outside of God. This statement is interesting because it directly contradicts the belief of the majority of Hindus, the belief that when you die, you exist alongside God but still maintain your individuality. Additionally, Krishna brings attention to the fact that a person "finds peace and joy and radiance" not in a church or through a priest or in a book, but "within himself." Perfect happiness is attainable for everyone in Hunduism because Krishna preaches that everyone has it in themselves to begin with.
5.19-"Freed from tne endless cycle of birth and death, they can act impartially toward all beings, since to them all beings are the same."
This line talks about everyone being equal. The reason that this is so is because everything has God in it, and if everything has God in it, every person is equal in wise men eyes Krishna says. I find it so interesting that to these wise men, every person is equal because of God being within them. I have always learned that each person is different and unique; not any carbon copies. Even though this is still true, if you look deep down within yourself, you will find God, and in other believers, if you look deep within, God is there also. So, that is why you can act impartial to all beings.
5.4 "Fools say that knowledge and yoga are separate, but the wise do not. when you practice one of them deeply, you gain the rewards of both."
Krishna is talking to Arjuna and is saying that there is no difference in yoga and knowlege. Fools say that the two are different, yet the wise know that they are combined because the path to God is through knowlege. one must have knowleged to know God. there is no one without the other.
"Even if you were the most evil of evildoers, Arjuna wisdom is the boat that would carry you across the sea of all sins."
Krishna tries to make vivid the simplicity of understanding wisdom. He gives an example of evildoers that it requires wisdom to sin also; because the person has to know the accurate procedures to accomplish his act. So, Krishna explains that the real difference is what he use your wisdom to do. Also with stating this fact, Krishna is trying to make Arjuna understand that using wisdom wisely requires the correct practices of yoga. Unlike sinners, it takes profound thinking and the right actions with the mind to attain his goal. And interestingly, before Krishna goes in detail about wisdom he mentions that there are many paths to God; this is why Krishna teaches Arjuna the different yogas.
"Pleasures from external objects are wombs of suffering, Arjuna. They have their beginnings and their ends; no wise man seeks joy among them." (5.22)
I find this statement to be very wise. Krishna is explaining how the only thing you can find pleasure in, is your self. The idea of basing ones sole happiness on another person or on possessions is a foolish path. People around you will pass, and possesions will be lost or destroyed. Everything around us will bring pleasure as well as sadness but at one point there has to be an ending. Why let our senses win when they can only bring saddness?
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