The Vedas contain the earliest concepts of Hinduism and are divided into four sub categories: Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda. These four Vedas are further divided into two parts, Karma-Kanda and Jnana-Kanda.
Karma Kanda deals with rituals and prayers while Jnana-Kanda deals only with ontological realities, such as the nature of the world, consciousness (or self), and God (known as Brahman in the Vedas). Vedanta refers to the set of teachings that are contained in the Jnana-Kanda section, which are the culmination of the Vedas. Their vision is to present what the Vedas want us to know.
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There are two great commentaries on the Brahmasutras, written by Shankaracharya and Ramanujacharya. The Gita is an episode in the great epic of Mahabharata. It presents the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna during the Kurukshetra war.
Vedanta is a type of Hindu philosophy that is not restricted to one book and does not have one sole source. The three most important aspects of Vedanta are the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Brahmasutras. The Upanishads are passages from the Jnana-kanda section of the Vedas that are mostly philosophical in nature.
Many of the Upanishads are presented as dialogues between a teacher and a disciple trying to uncover the nature of reality, although the authorship of many Upanishads is unknown. The Brahmasutras attempt to systematize the various strands of the Upanishads, which form the background of the orthodox systems of thought.
There are two great commentaries on the Brahmasutras written by Shankaracharya and Ramanujacharya. The Gita is an episode in the great epic of Mahabharata that presents the
It’s important to note that there’s a lot of literature for children designed to help with their moral development from an early age. The Panchtantras – an ancient Indian collection of animal fables in verse and prose – is a great example of using social stories to communicate the principles of Dharma (morality) to kids. It’s believed the original Sanskrit work was composed in the 3rd century BCE, and it remains popular in India as a children’s story.
The moral dilemma in Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most revered religious texts of the Hindus and is considered to contain the essence and spirit of Hindu philosophy. It is also a literary masterpiece because of its superb poetry.
It is important to understand the context of Bhagavad Gita in order to understand it. Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata, which is traditionally ascribed to the sage Vyasa. The Mahabharata is about a battle for the throne of the kingdom of Hastinapur between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, who are cousins.
The Pandavas have the legal right to the throne, but the Kauravas take over the kingdom by cheating the Pandavas in a game of dice. Lord Krishna is the guide for the Pandavas, but he has vowed not to use any weapons in the battle.
Lord Krishna is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu is one of the Gods in Hindu mythology and is considered to be the creator of this world. The Bhagavad Gita is centered on the moral dilemma that is faced by despondent Arjuna (one of the Pandavas) in the midst of the battlefield.
The Lord Krishna is Arjuna’s spiritual guide in the battlefield. Just before the battle is about to begin, Arjuna is burdened with self-doubt about what he is about to engage in: a bloody war with his cousins over a kingdom.
His dilemma is whether it is appropriate for him to kill his own cousins Kauravas and other close associates for the sake of the kingdom, despite it being his legitimate claim. It is then that Lord Krishna enlightens him through the teachings that together form the Bhagavad Gita.
The teachings in Bhagavad Gita comprehensively explain the essence of the Vedas, primarily the Upanishads, in a language that is less difficult to understand than the Upanishads themselves. The main intention of these teachings is to help humans with the task of discrimination – choosing and performing actions that are moral and righteous, especially when one is going through an emotional crisis.
One of the tenets of Bhagavad Gita’s philosophy is Karma Yoga, which translates into “path of union through action”. This emphasizes performing selfless actions with an attitude that is not influenced by one’s likes and dislikes.
