A Tour of Hinduism - IV

 

Gita and Gospel
-Farquhar

A bird’s view

1.      A philosophical work, book of devotion

2.      Falls under Smriti category

3.      Philosophical basis of the book is primarily Sankhya system which is essentially atheist

4.      Aryan tribe:

i.                    A religious race, worshiping devas i.e. shining one

ii.                  Each household had priestly functions to approach gods

iii.                Composition of hymns of praise and honour

iv.                Memorized and used at sacrifices

v.                  Passed down generation to generation

vi.                Polytheistic – personified and worshiped powers of nature and departed father believed to be demi-gods.  

vii.              When Vedic hymns were being composed, they were still in Punjab

5.      Doctrines of Avatara was unknown to Vedas, Brahmanas and Upanishads

6.      Bhagavad Gita:

i.                    Depicts Krishna as Brahma incarnate

ii.                  Kurukshetra war – during Vedic compilation

iii.                Gita written down at least thousand years later the great battle

iv.                Gita is not supposed to be uttered by Krishna

v.                  Mixture of Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta darshanas

vi.                Sum of all the best that has been thought and said in India up to that date

vii.              Concentrated essence of Hinduism

viii.            Revelation of Hindu people, longing for God, reaching out after God

ix.                Explains what it means to be Hinduism – autobiography

x.                  Must be read to understand Hindu people

xi.                Gospel – Historical Jesus whereas Gita – an imagination of author trying to deliver a message that god-incarnate would have many things to say about himself

xii.              Suggested theme: Give up all desires for the fruit of actions and thereby fulfil the philosophical ideas but continue to do your work at same time and fulfil your duty.

7.      Krishna:

i.                    In not a single one of the Brahmanas, he has been adored as god.

ii.                  Even the Upanishads has no reference to him as incarnate God.

iii.                Certain passage of Chandogya Upanishads mention Krishna Devakiputra but as a man, pupil of a sage named Ghora Angirasa.

iv.                He might have been a historical person but his claim to Brahma incarnate in the battle field is considered as fabrication by all early history and literature of India.

 

[Note: This book has some fascinating information on development of Hindu scriptures and the Gita related with the Gospel as an approach to reach Hindu World. I just brought up this resource so that you may know what kind of opinions scholars have regarding Gita and Krishna. You can investigate yourself and explore more on historicity of the Gita and Krishna rather completely relying on the information of this book.] 

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