is the Gita dishonest?

Chris Beetle bvi at AFN.ORG
Sat Mar 24 22:30:16 UTC 2001


At 08:17 PM 3/24/01 +0100, Gunthard Mueller wrote:
>It is one way to approach the Gita as ultimate religious
>reference, and another to try to understand it as a work
>of religious literature.
>If you come from the former angle, you will see truth
>in the Gita itself, no matter what it says, and you will
>not be concerned about paradoxes, consistency, and
>other such measly nitty-gritty.
>If you try to understand it as a work of religious
>literature, you have to develop your own viewpoint.
>That's a lot harder.
>I assume that the indology list is not a place of
>devotion, but of analysis.

I suppose it is for the list founder to judge the relevance of my contribution.
The Gita itself indicates that knowledge results in devotion (10.8) and that
devotion results in knowledge (10.10).
One could see devotion as a tool to gain insight into the Gita, and one
could argue that a devotional interpretation is, at the very least, a valid
way of appreciating its meaning.

As far as the Gita's paradoxes, Arjuna seems ultimately to have transcended
them at least by his own admission (Bg. 18.73).

Best wishes,
Chris Beetle

>
>gm at e-ternals.com
>
>Chris Beetle wrote:
>
>> At 05:22 AM 3/23/01 +0000, Arun Gupta wrote:
>> >Re: "The Gita is certainly not totally consistent" --
>> >My current understanding is limited; but I would venture
>> >the hypothesis that the Gita is paradoxical rather than
>> >"not totally consistent". Better understanding will resolve
>> >the paradoxes.
>>
>> I agree.
>>
>> And regarding consistency, Emerson once said, "A foolish consistency is
>> the hobgoblin of little minds."
>>
>> It is interesting that even Arjuna appears to have
>> difficulty in following Krishna's argument and thus in the
>> beginning of chapters 3 and 5, for example, he asks for
>> clarification as to what is better, renunciation or work in
>> devotion.  Krishna then proceeds to clear up Arjuna's doubts.
>>
>> Another point is that Krishna advises in 4.34 that one try to
>> understand the truth by inquiring submissively from and rendering
>> service to one who has seen the truth.  If this procedure is
>> not followed it is perhaps not surprising that the Gita will appear
>> paradoxical.  The 'truth' referred to there is described in the following
>> verse, 4.35, and is that all beings are within Krishna.
>>
>> Best wishes to everyone,
>> Chris Beetle
>





More information about the INDOLOGY mailing list