The duration of life in a material reality is substantial, but insignificant to all the living bodies in the tangible world are subject to a phenomenon of reoccurring past and once again develop other bodies in another realm. This idea of one life coming after another is a continuing occurrence in the literary world of religious themed texts. Across continents and cultural standpoints, east and west, across time, a thousand years, there are two characters who both begin a journey away from the confusion filling their minds. In the epic Bhagavad Gita and Alighieri from the works of the Scribe Veda Vyasa and Dante, respectively, both works near a thousand years apart connect together to the theme of levels in life is portrayed by the physical life and the extraneous or exotic life, and how these all connect to one another.
The first of these levels: physical life or the material
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But Lord Krishna says to Arjuna “If you turn from righteous warfare/your behavior will by evil/for you will have abandoned both/your duty and your honored name”, meaning that Arjuna’s cowardice will bring evil and his “honored name” will be lost and forgotten (Bhagavad Gita 1290). Arjuna is in fear of ending their lives, a plaguing uncertainty that is his fault they’ll perish away at his sword and he’ll just be as evil as the men who stole the throne away from his rightful claim. Lord Krishna is saying that it is Arjuna’s duty to fight for virtuous and moral reasons and forsaking his post to fight against the evil, and Arjuna will become what he is fighting against – evil. Arjuna’s external and internal actions are plaguing his eternal being at stake, as Lord Krishna continues with “People will speak of your disgrace…suffers a fate much worse than death”, meaning that shame will carry on in the next life he lives, forever haunted by the
From the beginning of humankind, people have constantly had to deal with inner battles. Many of these issues cease to exist as time goes on, while new ones arise to take their place. There is one issue, however, that has remained consistent throughout time – morality. For centuries, humans have fought against the outside world and themselves to keep their morals properly aligned. The issue of morality is so dominant that it is still plays a vital role in today’s society. This can be seen in wars, law systems, codes of conduct, and religious texts. An example of a religious text where this can be seen is in pages 185 - 188 of the Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna, also referred to as “The Blessed One”, guides Arjuna through his inner struggles between
It is equated to day as it, is refulgent with deathless light, and as Savitri can stay and enjoy the supernal ecstasy as long as she pleases. The Canto describes the occult experienced that come to a saint who has reached the higher, even the highest plane of transcendence. The greatness of Sri Aurobindo lies in the concretization of the ecstasy. The most abstract is made the most concrete. Sri Aurobindo’s poetry progresses through polarities. The extreme opposite of Death is the Everlasting Day. And just as Savitri discards the Everlasting Night- the abode of Death, she also refuses the tempting offers of the everlasting day, howsoever divinely and luring they might be: “I climb not to thy everlasting Day, / Even as I have shunned thy eternal Night” (11.1.541-542). For, she is earth- abound, committed to the cause of the earth. The Canto is a justification and glorification of the importance of the earth which eventually helps the poet in pointing out how Matter is the seedbed of spirit and how, in the last count, the real transformation is the transform action in the unit, in the
Characters in literature who exhibit pride or live as a voice of reason, often share certain characteristics between each other. Prideful characters often allow their pride to influence their actions, while voices of reason advise the lead character, hoping that the lead character will listen to them. Dante’s Inferno and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex share similarities through their lead characters, Dante (the pilgrim) from Dante’s Inferno and Oedipus from Oedipus Rex, as well as through their voices of reason, Virgil from Dante’s Inferno and Creon from Oedipus Rex
Merriam- Webster online dictionary defines an epic hero as, “ A grand and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or effected by grand events.” The same dictionary also defines an epic poem as, “a story told about a hero or exciting events.” The Epic of Gilgamesh is often considered the oldest story on earth; which would make Gilgamesh, the story’s controversial main character, and the world’s oldest epic hero. This epic set a precedent for all epics to follow; it displayed most of the traits that society commonly perceives an epic hero and epic poem should have. The Epic of Gilgamesh exhibits tendencies of an epic poem through its inclusion of an epic hero, multiple gods and goddesses, and it’s vast array of settings across the world. Additionally, Gilgamesh presents attributes of an epic hero through his quest for immortality, his noble birth and his battles with superhuman foes.
The ultimate goal in Bhagavad Gita is to obtain wisdom, understand worship, and what is absolute freedom, but it also teaches Arjuna the right way to live and make decisisons. Bhagavad Gita was written based on Hinduism principles, but it also elaborates the key to life which is worship, freedom, and wisdom. While learning how to achieve these important aspects of life readers also learn about gunas, absolute freedom, kindness, meditation, and relinquishing all sense-objects. Although it takes Arjuna a while to accept his duty, his mind is finally at ease and knows what he has to do, which is to fight. Arjuna said, “Krishna, I see the truth now, by your immeasurable kindness. I have no more doubts; I will act according to your
...uare Temple at Eshnunna; both very different mediums of art. Although the mediums are different, both are greatly significant in understanding the cultures of the past. Within each of these works of art the theme of immortality is prevalent. One states the theme very plainly, whereas the other has acquired this theme as time has passed. Never-the-less the theme of immortality is important in understanding each of these works of art. It is this theme of immortality which connects these works of art to our modern day and the dream a lot of us have of living forever. Although many hold this dream, I think the artist Freddie Mercury said it best in his song “Who Wants to Live Forever” when he said “This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.” Our life is very fleeting in the grand scheme of things, it’s this same fact that gives our life such great importance.
The topic of Heaven and Hell is a widely discussed topic due to the fact that no one has been able to experience either destination and provide insight on what it is about. Many Catholics believe that it is your actions on Earth that determine where you will end up in your after life. By living a righteous, moral life you will secure a spot in Heaven, but if you live a life of deceit and corruption you will secure a spot in Hell. In the allegory, Dante’s Inferno, one experiences Dante’s journey through Hell, and sees how his opinions of the sinners change the further he gets into his journey.
The Divine Comedy and the Bible are similar and different in many ways. Dante includes Paradiso (Heaven), Purgatory, and Inferno (Hell) in The Divine Comedy. It talks about where people go when they die. The Bible differs from this because there is only Heaven and Hell. There is not a middle place, such as Purgatory, where people go to repent of their sins even after death. Also, unlike Inferno, Hell is not split up into many categories. In the Bible they go straight into Heaven or Hell. Also, everyone’s new bodies in the two stories are different. The Divine Comedy and the Bible have several complex ideas, and the comparisons and contrasts of the two are interesting.
Arjuna gives up now, he will be full of shame, and a man who has given up
Perhaps one of the main reasons the Epic of Gilgamesh is so popular and has lasted such a long time, is because it offers insight into the human concerns of people four thousand years ago, many of which are still relevant today. Some of these human concerns found in the book that are still applicable today include: the fear and concerns people have in relation to death, overwhelming desires to be immortal, and the impact a friendship has on a person’s life. It does not take a great deal of insight into The Epic of Gilgamesh for a person to locate these themes in the story, and even less introspection to relate to them.
The desire to explain the unknown is deeply rooted in the make-up of humanity. What one does not know evinces fear, but also opens a realm of endless possibility that can be manipulated and explained through individual and societal understandings of the truth. Throughout time the human understanding of the truism and science has changed much like the evolution of existence in terms of thresholds. The beauty of this fact is relevant when exploring the cognizance of the universe through the lens of Japanese myth. The culture of the mythology is an essence entwined with religion, which makes for a spiritual and grounded connection to the land and it’s properties. The Buddhist and Shinto religion combined form an inherent connection to time and space in which the Japanese people honor, reference, and mold their knowledge of history. The myths of Japan are a reflection of not only religious terminology, but also the Gods in which the people pray to and worship in temples and shrines. The teachings of Buddha and living within the means of inviolability are held up through myth and a great respect for nature is vital to the infrastructure of the rich culture and linguistic aspects of the stories. The vast domain of stories braided with religion paints a unique picture of origin and meaning that can be explored and organized into thresholds one through eight plus the future.
The Bhagavad Gita is the song of the god Krishna, created in order to spread his eternal message. The ancient Sanskrit text is a seven hundred verse text that tells readers that in order to achieve nirvana, or eternal peace, one must rid themselves of evils and sins, selfishness and greed, and attractions. The Hindu god Krishna tells the Indian Prince Arjuna, that one must surrender to the god incarnates will in order to reach nirvana. When surrendering oneself to Krishna, they must void themselves of their egotistical nature. Krishna goes on and explains that although the body dies, “the soul never takes birth and never dies at any time nor does it come into being again when the body is created… (Bhagavad Gita ch. 2:20)” Krishna describes the soul as an eternal entity that is timeless, because a soul is neither born or can die, there for can last forever.
Little did the world know before the mid-1800s that an expansive, detailed work of literature from the Third Dynasty of Ur was about to be discovered. Described as the world’s first great work of literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh is normally thought an applicable document to portray the first inklings of humanity. As history tells any careful reader, clearly this is not the case. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the characters within the epic poem are instead descriptive representations of a certain time period documented once for lore. This instance and the epic story brings forth many questions: what does it mean to be a god? A friend? Most importantly, what does it mean
12. What is the difference between a.. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Ryan, Michael P. “Samsa and Samsara: Suffering, Death and Rebirth in ‘The Metamorphosis.’.” The German Quarterly 72.2 (Spring 1999): 133-152.
The Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's epic three-part poem, The Divine Comedy. In this poem, Dante develops many themes throughout the adventures of his travelers from political to religious. The Inferno is a poem that Dante used to explain and show his ideas of God's divine justice. Throughout this story religion comes up and shows the comparison of the different Hells and beliefs. This paper develops the connections between Christianity, Islam, and Judaism religion and the message presented in Dante’s Inferno.