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Bhagavad Gita Religion

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The Bhagavad-Gita focuses primarily on a conversation held between a god called Krishna and his mortal cousin, Arjuna. This conversation happens right before a battle between Arjuna and his brothers, the Pandavas, and their cousins, the Kurus, over who should be in charge of the kingdom. Arjuna doesn’t want to kill his family and seeks guidance from Krishna on what is to be done. The two have a lengthy conversation regarding the many paths to understanding, the primary goal for this period’s religious tradition. Krishna is careful not to place one of the three paths or yogas (literally joining together, the way or the path to the ultimate reality) ahead of the others. For Arjuna, however, karmayoga (discipline of action) is more readily applicable …show more content…

The jñanayoga focuses on knowing one’s dharma and for understanding the more philosophical aspects of this particular Indian tradition. It draws on the Upanishadic tradition of philosophy and generally thought of as the more intellectual yoga leading to the correct understanding of Atman and Brahman as both separate but really one and the same. For Arjuna to follow the jñanayoga successfully, he would need to understand the philosophical nuances of the path. In particular, he would need to understand how to act in such a way that was “intent on action, not on the fruits of action” (II.47). Krishna says this to Arjuna in response to Arjuna’s claim that he will not fight (II.9) despite his warrior caste status and his role in the conflict as one of the five Pandava brothers. This seemingly paradoxical advice highlights the differences between focusing on the outcomes of a particular event (fruits of action) and focusing on simply completing an action. It is a process of losing attachments and, consequently, is essential to understanding Atman and Brahman. Letting go of Arjuna’s attachment to the outcomes or the fruits of his action would free Arjuna from his discontentment and allow him to fulfil his

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