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A review by raoul_g
The Bhagavad Gita by Simon Brodbeck, Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
3.0
I found a german edition of the Bhagavad Gita in a second hand bookshop and thought I give it a shot. The Gita is one of the holy scriptures of Hinduism and as I knew next to nothing about Hinduism I thought it might be a good idea to read this one to expand my horizons a bit.
The specific edition of the Gita that I bought seemed to have some additional commentary in the footnotes which points out the similarities between the Gita and some stuff that Christian Mystics like Eckhart and Thomas a Kempis said. While this was sometimes interesting, I didn't pay much attention to it most of the time.
Now to the the Gita itself: It basically consists of a dialogue between Arjuna, a student of the teachings of God and Krishna, who is a sort of manifestation of God that can be seen and heard by Arjuna. In this regard Vishnu is similar to the idea of the Logos in Christianity: the incarnation of God/Brahma. Unlike Jesus who according to Christianity was born only once in history, Vishnu has chosen to be reborn many times in different ages to restore justice on earth.
According to the Gita, those who recognize Vishnu and his truth don't have to be reborn, but enter Nirvana (unity with Vishnu) and those who give themselves over to the search of the truth will find it in the right time. Forgiveness of sins is obtained through rest in and oneness with Brahma. This seeking of union with Brahma is called yoga. Peace is obtained by renouncing every claim on the fruits of one's work and by seeing oneself as merely a tool used by Brahma.
According to the teachings of Vishnu, desire is foolish as it means attachment to external things
Instead, detachment from externalities that could produce joy or sorrow is to be sought: true joy is found only on the inside.
My favorite verse from the Gita was the following:
BG 6.30 For those who see me everywhere and see all things in me, I am never lost, nor are they ever lost to me.
All in all, an interesting read to get a basic idea of Hinduism.
The specific edition of the Gita that I bought seemed to have some additional commentary in the footnotes which points out the similarities between the Gita and some stuff that Christian Mystics like Eckhart and Thomas a Kempis said. While this was sometimes interesting, I didn't pay much attention to it most of the time.
Now to the the Gita itself: It basically consists of a dialogue between Arjuna, a student of the teachings of God and Krishna, who is a sort of manifestation of God that can be seen and heard by Arjuna. In this regard Vishnu is similar to the idea of the Logos in Christianity: the incarnation of God/Brahma. Unlike Jesus who according to Christianity was born only once in history, Vishnu has chosen to be reborn many times in different ages to restore justice on earth.
According to the Gita, those who recognize Vishnu and his truth don't have to be reborn, but enter Nirvana (unity with Vishnu) and those who give themselves over to the search of the truth will find it in the right time. Forgiveness of sins is obtained through rest in and oneness with Brahma. This seeking of union with Brahma is called yoga. Peace is obtained by renouncing every claim on the fruits of one's work and by seeing oneself as merely a tool used by Brahma.
According to the teachings of Vishnu, desire is foolish as it means attachment to external things
Instead, detachment from externalities that could produce joy or sorrow is to be sought: true joy is found only on the inside.
My favorite verse from the Gita was the following:
BG 6.30 For those who see me everywhere and see all things in me, I am never lost, nor are they ever lost to me.
All in all, an interesting read to get a basic idea of Hinduism.