Throughout India, there are many religions and ideas that people follow. Mainly, Hinduism is the religion that is most practiced. The three Lords that are the highest forms are Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. However, there are many avatars of Vishnu. The one that is the most beloved avatar out of all of them is Lord Krishna. He is the eighth incarnation of Vishnu and is adored by his devotees through his stories. He is known as the delightful, full of pranks, and playful Hindu God, which gives appeal to much of the attraction and devotion around him. “We meet the infant child who has been the delight of Hindu devotion for centuries. We see a mischievous toddler who loves butter and steals it from the houses of the cowherd girls.” (Oxtoby 41).…
I chose Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad-Gita. This chapter is set in a battlefield where a war between the Kaurava’s and Pandava’s armies is about to take place. Just before the war begins Prince Arjuna sees that in both armies family members are present, both sides are made up of “fathers, grandfathers, teachers, brothers, uncles, sons, grandsons, in-laws and friends." Arjuna is overcome with grief and tells Krishna, who has taken the form of his charioteer, that he has no desire to fight and no need for a kingdom if it means killing his own family. Krishna tells Arjuna to get up and push forward for it is his duty as a warrior to fight this righteous war. When Arjuna questions this, Krishna explains that there is no such thing…
War has always been something that seemed pointless to me; it seemed like violence with no other purpose but to harm people. I felt sorry for the people who had to go to war, for the people who died, and for people who could never go back to normal after a war ended, because of the mental or physical impact it had on them. Howard told us his story, his opinion about war, and the book “The Things they carried”. He changed my way of looking at war a lot, partly even my opinion about war.…
War is standing up for yourself, your nation, your beliefs and rights no matter the cost. Fighting for one’s nation, what they believe in, what they deserve is what drives men in war and in spite of the horrific experiences of war their mindset and perceptions are unaffected due to fighting for what they believe is right and what they love. The horrors of war are remembered and more often than not does not leave an individual’s mind but because of the unwavering duty and patriotism displayed by individuals it isn’t difficult to recall his experiences of war due to the honourable, strong and proud…
The romance novel, "The Once and Future King", contains several major humanistic themes. Its central theme throughout the entire book is Arthur's exploration of human nature regarding power and justice, as he tries to suppress the widespread "might is right" attitude. Through the transformations Merlyn provided Wart, I was able to develop my own attitude toward the subject of war.…
To conclude, there is no doubt that the conflict of war is a useless encounter that affects many innocent people’s lives, the economic stability and physiological wellbeing of soldiers. It is evident that in some circumstances society makes war to ensure peace, and on the surface this seems rational, even plausible. However, in reality throughout the journey there is a great human and economic cost…
The question of condition, or problem, mainly focuses on what is wrong with the world and your surroundings or with yourself. In the Krishna and Hinduism world view, the problem is the illusion, or Maya, that people tend to build about themselves and what surrounds them. Maya is when people see themselves as something separate instead of the common Hindu belief that all things are connected. Maya brings ignorance, attachment, and reincarnation into the lives of people. People start thinking that they are the most important thing around and do not think about the harm that they may bring to others and mainly their own souls. They start betraying and killing for simple desires instead of for ones own good. By being this ignorant, the karma of a human being just begins to keep on piling up, like it is mentioned in the Gita, "Your own karma, born of your own nature, will drive you to do even that which you do not wish to do, because of your delusion" (18:60 p.60). Being caught up in this delusion and all the surrounding bad karma that floats around leads to being stuck in the endless cycle of reincarnation and having no enlightenment in the person's life because the Lord "whirls them [the creatures] round upon the wheel of Maya" (Gita 18:60 p.60). If one is locked into reincarnation, it keeps him or her from having or achieving peace, the biggest problem that a human being can have in their lifetime.…
The practice of Ahimsa is one that Gandhi was most well-known for and is essentially the living by the concept of "non-violence"1. This means that instead of fighting violence with violence, Gandhi argued that exploitation could be overcome by returning love for hatred and respect for contempt, in a determined refusal to give in to injustice2. In explaining his theory Gandhi stated "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent"3. He put his theory into action throughout various campaigns in his fight of social injustice such as the Salt March campaign. Another one of which being the Quit India movement which became the most violent movements in the struggle of India's freedom. The protest resulted in mass arrests and violence on an unprecedented scale4. However Gandhi wanted his disciples to follow the principles of Ahimsa and therefore the violence received was not reciprocated and resulted in the only non-violent liberation of a country. This practice often involved a…
* In Upanishad there are two paragraphs of conversations between the father Uddalaka and his…
The sacred Hindi text is a story of self-actualization. Arjuna is faced with an existential crisis in the beginning of the story. He questions who he is and what he wants his life to be about. He wonders if what he does with his life is more important than the people in it, whom he loves. All these questions are much more intimidating when they are being asked in battle, where if he answers a question wrong, lives are at stake. He sees his family and friends in the audience, and his anxiety level rises. He says, “My dear Krishna, seeing my friends…
Base on the document, Arjuna doesn't want to fight because he doesn't understand why he has to shed his family's blood for a kingdom that he doesn't even want part of and he sees killing as an evil act, but…
9. Why do you think Gandhi decided to fight for everyone instead of staying idle?…
relatives, the Pandavas and the Kauravas. It exhibits the prowess warrior Arjuna, a member of the Pandavas and belongs to the ksatria (warrior class), would somehow doubt and think about neglecting his obligations, due to the unbearable fact that he has to kill his own flesh and blood. But God somehow enlightened him, through the words of his good friend Krishna (one of the avatars of the God Vishnu). And through their heart-to-heart talk Krishna, somehow elucidated him about his moral duties as a member of the ksatria. That he must fulfill what his caste requires him to do and disregard any worldly desire or biases that comes along the way. Thus, offering these selfless actions to God.…
Christians of today are often firm believers in the idea of Armageddon. The very idea of a battle wherein they must face friends, family, and strangers divided on moral basis instills fear in some, and joy in others. How is this possible? Luckily, Christianity isn’t the only religion to face such a predicament or idea. The Bhagavad Gita is one of the Hindu sacred texts following the epic Mahabharata. The story told is of the torn hero Arjuna as he faces this very predicament and can answer that question. Krishna teaches him of the battle between good and evil, the secret of life, the secret of wisdom, and expounds the mysteries of divinity. Throughout his explanation, the nature of man and their ways of approaching dilemmas such as that of Armageddon are expounded. In this paper I will discuss these lessons and explain the attributes produced in relation to each one and how they seem to adversely affect believers of the religion.…
The issue of war had been relevant in all ages which also figures prominently in the Immortals of Meluha. It seems to question war on the one hand and draws attention towards the present on the other. Wars are an organized and prolonged conflict that is carried out by states. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, social disruption and economic destruction. It is an intentional widespread conflict between political communities. War leads to destruction of human and natural resources. War leads to pervasive violence in the name of justice and revenge. In the novel various battles are fought between Guna and Prakritis, Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi, Naga and Suryavanshi.…