The Bhagavad Gita: A religious or philosophical text?

 Dr. Tazid Ali

(Professor, Dept. of Mathematics, Dibrugarh University, tazid@dibru.ac.in)

Who am I? Where have I come from? What is my destiny? What is the meaning or purpose of life? How am I supposed to conduct myself in this lifetime? These questions have intrigued the human mind since time immemorial. Sages, mystics, and philosophers have pondered and deliberated on these issues and have come up with different answers and explanations—some complementing, some contradicting.

The Bhagavad Gita delves into some of the above dilemmas of mankind. The Gita is based on the backdrop of the Mahabharata war fought between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, who are cousins by blood. It is basically a dialogue between Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, wherein Krishna clarifies the doubts and queries of Arjuna regarding the duties, righteousness, and purpose of life. The teacher of the Gita is identified with Lord Visnu, who in turn is identified with the Supreme Lord.

It is said that the different elements that, at the time of the composition of the Gita, were competing with each other within the Hindu system are brought together and integrated into a comprehensive synthesis. The teacher refines and reconciles the different currents of thought of the Vedic cult of sacrifice, the Upanishad teachings of the transcendent Brahman, Bhagavata theism, Samkhya dualism, and yoga meditation.

The Gita speaks of two aspects of the Supreme Lord: impersonal and personal. The impersonal is identified with the absolute brahman, one without attributes or determinants. The personal is Ishvara, the God of worship who created the universe. On being asked by Arjuna which is better: worship of the manifest or the unmanifest, Krishna replies that both are equally acceptable to Him. Worship of the unmanifested is difficult for ordinary human beings, so worship of the personal God is recommended as the easier way. The forms we impose on the formless are due to our limitations.

The Gita begins with the hesitation and despondency of Arjuna to fight his kith and kin. To release Arjuna from his doubts, Krishna reveals to him the cosmic purpose and how action is to be undertaken in this world. Krishna says: “Further, having regard for thine own duty, thou should not falter; there exists no greater good for a Ksatriya than a battle enjoyed by duty.” Krishna advises Arjuna to fight without passion or ill-will, without anger or attachment. Action done devotedly and wholeheartedly, without attachment to the results, makes for perfection. The Gita further says: “To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive, nor let there be in thee any attachment to inaction.”

The Gita does not teach the complete renunciation of works but the conversion of all works into niskamakarma, or desireless action. Selfish work binds one to the chain of karma.

Perhaps the essence of the Gita, in simple words, is that work is worship. One needs to realise the duty as per his or her essential nature and proceed accordingly. When we work in a detached spirit, our mental balance is not disturbed. So long as our work is done in accordance with our nature, we are in dharma (righteousness). Adharma is nonconformity with our nature.

Now, the questions at hand are: Does the Gita qualify simply as a religious scripture or as a philosophical text? Are the teachings of the Gita secular or specific to Hinduism? How far is the Gita acceptable to people of other faiths? A non-Hindu may not be convinced of the historicity of Krishna or, for that matter, the battle of the Mahabharata. But how important is the historicity of the background to the message of the Gita? Similarly, an agnostic or an atheist may not be comfortable with the notion of God or the soul as expounded in the Gita. How far are the teachings of Gita relevant to them? According to Radhakrishnan, the Gita is more of a religious classic than a philosophical treatise. But he, along with Gandhi, is of the opinion that historicity is immaterial to the teachings of the Gita. The essential thing is the relevance and significance of the message. In the words of Gandhi, “I felt that it was not a historical work, but that, under the guise of physical warfare, it described the duel that perpetually went on in the hearts of mankind, and that physical warfare was brought in merely to make the description of the internal more alluring.”

The Gita does not speak of this or that form of religion but of dharma (righteousness) in general. It is all about the desire to find God and understand our relationship to Him. Every religion with a founder echoes the following statement of Krishna: “Whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness prevails, for the protection of the good and the destruction of evil-doers, I come forth from age to age.”