33 – The Bhagavad Gita

Mar 7, 2016

The podcast delves into the profound moral dilemmas faced by Arjuna as he grapples with fighting his own family in the Mahabharata. It highlights Krishna's compelling teachings on duty and righteousness, contrasting these ideas with nonviolent philosophies. The discussion explores the relevance of the Bhagavad Gita to modern ethical questions and reflects on its influence on renowned figures like Gandhi. The divine revelations between Arjuna and Krishna illuminate the interconnectedness of existence and the quest for spiritual enlightenment amidst conflict.

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ANECDOTE

Arjuna's Focus

Arjuna, a skilled archer, was tested by a king.
Arjuna's focus was so intense he only saw the bird, not the tree or branch.

INSIGHT

Arjuna's Dilemma

The Mahabharata pauses its climactic battle for a philosophical dialogue.
Arjuna, despite being a mighty warrior, questions the morality of fighting his cousins.

INSIGHT

Krishna's Argument

Krishna argues for action, not inaction, as Arjuna's dharma.
He emphasizes the ephemerality of bodies and the importance of souls.

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Written over the span of 800 years from ca. 400 B.C. to ca. 400 A.D, the Mahabharata tells a riveting tale of disputed kingship and warring families. But just as the action-packed narrative reaches its climax, the story pauses to convey a dialogue between the reluctant warrior Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, who dramatically reveals himself as the incarnation of God. This passage, known as the Bhagavad Gita, has proved inspirational to hundreds of millions of religious seekers and was regarded by philosophers from Henry David Thoreau to Mahatma Gandhi as perhaps the greatest distillation of philosophy and religion ever written.

How does this philosophical treatise fit into this fast-paced story? What lessons does it have for us? And how did a two-thousand-year-old argument that a warrior should fulfill his duty on the battlefield end up inspiring some of the most famous advocates of non-violence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?

You can find more literary discussion at jackewilson.com and more episodes of the series at historyofliterature.com.

Contact the host at jackewilsonauthor@gmail.com or by leaving a voicemail at 1-361-4WILSON (1-361-494-5766).

Books Discussed:

The Bhagavad Gita (tr. Easwaran)

Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation (tr. Mitchell)

The Norton Anthology of World Literature (Third Edition) (Vol. Package 1: Vols. A, B, C)

Music Credits:

“Handel – Entrance to the Queen of Sheba” by Advent Chamber Orchestra (From the Free Music Archive / CC by SA).

“Sweeter Vermouth” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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