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THE BHAGAVAD GITA

THE BHAGAVAD GITA IN THE BRAHMANIST REDACTION OF THE MAHABHARATA REPRESENTS THE ORTHODOX RESPONSE THAT BECAME THE NEW CORE FOR A NEW ORTHODOXY

How does the Bhagavad Gita reflect that? I.E., how does it

reflect the interests of the elites and the power structures of

its day?

Given its emphases, what do you think the most popular part

of the heterodox challenges will be? The least popular?

Here are a couple videos to think about

HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI

• Attack on *Civilian* Cities with

very low strategic value

• 126,000-226,000 dead, mostly

civilians

J. Robert Oppenheimer

True

False

I don’t know

SOME TERMS

Dharma

Do your DUTY

Each caste/life stage has

different Dharma

Know it and DO IT

Closer to what you think

of as karma

Doing your Dharma (or

not) accrues (or removes)

karma

The key to liberation

Can be waived for the

right reasons

If dharma conflicts with

ahimsa, CHOOSE

DHARMA

Karma Ahimsa Yoga

Lays out an elaborate

plan for discipline

Depending on who you

are, different disciplines

to interact with the divine

STAGES OF LIFE

Different

Dharma for

each stage

And a

different

dharma

for each

caste

Bhakti Yoga Karma Yoga Jnana Yoga

11.9 Saying this, O King, Krishna, the Master of the supreme yoga, showed Arjuna his highest

supreme form.

11.10 With many mouths and eyes, many wondrous aspects, many divine ornaments, and many

upraised divine weapons;

11.11 Wearing divine necklaces and clothes, anointed with divine scents, the deity all-marvelous,

endless, facing everywhere.

11.12 If the light of a thousand suns shone forth at once in the sky, that would resemble the light

of that great being.

11.13 Then Arjuna saw the entire universe, divided into many parts, located there in the body of

the Supreme God.

The Blessed Lord said:

11.32 I am Time, grown old to destroy the worlds, not one of all these warriors arrayed for battle

shall survive, except for you.

11.33 Therefore get up! Seize Glory! Conquering your enemies, enjoy uncontested kingship! I

alone have already slain them, be my instrument, Arjuna!

11.34 Drona and Bhishma and Jayadratha, Karna and other heroic warriors, they are slain by

me, destroy them without distress; fight, you will conquer your enemies in battle.

Arjuna said:

11.39 You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, the moon, the Creator and the Primordial Ancestor!

Hail, hail a thousand fold! Again and yet again, hail, hail to thee!

11.44 Therefore bowing, I stretch out my body; I worship you as the Master to be praised. O

God, bear with me as father to a son, as a friend to a friend, as a lover with the beloved.

11.45 I am happy to see what has never been seen before, but my heart trembles with fear. O

God, show me your former form. Have mercy, Lord of the Gods, home of the universe.

18.64 Listen further to my most secret teaching. You are dear to me and resolute, and I

speak it for your benefit.

18.65 Fix your mind upon me, be my devotee, worship me, pay homage to me; you will

come to me alone, I promise you truly, you are dear to me.

18.66 Completely abandoning all duties (dharma), come to me alone for refuge; I will free

you from all evil, do not grieve.

18.67 Never reveal this teaching to one without asceticism, or without devotion, or one who

does not wish to hear, or one who speaks ill of me.

18.68 Whoever teaches this highest secret among my devotees; putting the highest

devotion in me, will come to me alone, without doubt.

18.69 No human being is dearer to me, and nor anything else in all the earth.

18.70 One who studies this religious discourse, worships me with the sacrifice of wisdom,

this is my opinion.

18.71 So too one who hears it with faith and sincerity--that one is liberated, and attains

the pure worlds of the upright.

18.72 Arjuna, have you listened

18.73 with your full powers of reason?

18.74 Has the delusion of ignorance now been destroyed?

Arjuna said

18.75 Krishna, my delusion is destroyed,

18.76 and by your grace I have regained memory,

18.77 I stand here, my doubt dispelled,

18.78 Ready to act on your words.

Arjuna decapitating a defenseless Karna, Razmnameh 1598

How does this text support the orthodox position,

and how does that position support power

structures? How does it reinforce the position of the

elites in comparison to other sectors of society?

As you work through the material on Heterodox

schools… come back to this! How does this

incorporate elements from heterodox challenges?

How does the text create avenues for NON-

Brahmins to worship and participate in the system?

How does it preserve Brahmin prerogatives?

How universal is the Bhagavad Gita? How does it

fit alongside other crucially important world

religio-philosophical texts we’ve read?

How does it apply to your life, today?

What ARE the different approaches to the divine

as outlined in the text? I.e., different versions of

yoga, ideas of dharma, the position of “those who

renounce” in society?