Genesis Text Vs Bhagavad Gita

The spirit within one is eternal, indestructible, and never changes. Because death is inevitable to all creatures, humans have been perplexed with the concept of death and an afterlife for centuries. Once we are deceased, does our soul become confined underground, or does it transcend to a divine world? According to different religious texts, there are different steps one must take in order to reach salvation and the afterlife. Although Genesis text and the Bhagavad Gita originate from two different religions that do not directly address an afterlife, they both speak of the soul and higher entities, which imply a final resting place for the soul that can be achieved through sacrifice, prayer, and devotion; this in return provides

people with guidelines on how to adequately live there in order to reach salvation.
In both Genesis and the Bhagavad Gita the human body has a soul which is an important aspect of the afterlife. Genesis, 2:7, states, “God breathed into him.” According to this text, man can be characterized into two parts, the flesh and the spirit. Genesis 3:19 states that “for dust you are and to dust you will return”; While God was having a conversation with Adam, he tells him that mankind is dust and to that same dust we will return. This verse shares a concept in the Gita which is that our physical body is valueless. Throughout the Gita, the divinity of the soul is expressed in every chapter. Our soul is what transcends to another world and what dictates our afterlife. Krishna said “The soul is unborn, eternal, never takes birth, and never dies. The soul is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.” This text demonstrates that the soul is immortal and that the soul is part of God’s essence. Hinduism believes in reincarnation and the rebirth of the soul. Krishna also tells Arjun, that he should not worry about killing his family
Furthermore, devotion and prayer to a Supreme Being is depicted in the Books of Genesis and the Bhagavad Gita as a pathway to obtaining salvation.

Prayer is simply a conversation with God and it shows obedience. Jesus constantly prayed during his lifetime, and through prayer one connects to the Supreme Entity. The Jewish people have a prayer named the Shema Israel. One of my favorite lines from the prayer is “Love your neighbor like you love yourself and you will have eternal life”. According to God, this commandment should be put above everything else. Christians also believe in the idea of loving your neighbor if one wants to reach God’s kingdom. God is reminding us that we are all God’s children. According to Christian Doctrines, one must forgive others, help those in need and love our enemies because they are a mere reflection of ourselves. In order to experience the true love of God, one must see God in another individual. Similarly, Hindus believe that the self is identical to the self of the others. God is reminding us that we are all God’s children. Christians and Hindus have a duty to be willing to forgive others, help those in need and love our enemies because they are a mere reflection of ourselves. In order to experience the true love of God, one must see God in another individual. In the Bhagavad Gītā, Krishna explains that prayer is conducted through karma, jñāna, bhakti, and rāja yoga. (Jnaneshvara, 1). Karma has to be worked off. In order to reach heaven, one must show devotion to the Supreme Being through meditation and

obedience.
Moreover, not only through prayer does one reach eternal life, but also through action and sacrifice. In the story of the Akedah, Abraham is put into the ultimate test of faith and devotion when God tells him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, to test his faith and demonstrate true devotion. This demonstrates acts of obedience, faith, and love. Like Abraham, Arjun sacrificed his beloved family in order to fulfill his Dharma, or duty. Mark 10:21 says "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." The young man to whom Jesus addressed these words claimed that he obeyed God’s law and that he wanted eternal life, but was regretful because he was told by Jesus to sell what he praised most, his wealth. One must detach them from this sinful world and by selling his riches and giving it to the poor, he will acquire riches in heaven. The faith of the individuals in the Gita and Genesis are tested to see whether they will obey or not. This obedience and the sacrifice that is asked of the obedient are keys to eternal life. In another example of sacrifice and obedience, Mark 15:16 states, “He said to them Go into the entire world and preach the gospel to every creature”. God is instructing believers to go out in the world and to be missionaries, preach the good news and make disciple of every nation. These are the actions that can help us obtain eternal life.
Additionally, both Christianity and Hinduism believe that a judgment after death, determines your afterlife. Michael SJ, Pavulraj states that “Jhana Yoga as a means to this end is found in many religious faiths that require a pure, holy and selfless living as for God, coming even close to the Christian conception of being 'born-again' or even enlightened by God or even being in the Spirit or led by the Spirit”. Christianity has a God; Hinduism believes in the Brahman. Whether it is God or the Brahman, the way we behave on Earth determines our soul will be liberated once we detach ourselves on the material and sinful world. Just in Christianity, if one remains attached to what this world offers, one will not enter the kingdom of God. The Bahgavad Gita states that keep yourself liberated, you will join me… Keep me in your mind and devotion, sacrifice to me, bow to me, discipline yourself to me, and you will reach me! In Hinduism one must be able to sacrifice these attachments to the Brahman, if not, one will remain in the cycle of rebirth. Any good or bad thought can either reward you or cause spiritual suffering in their current or future life.
The Judeo-Christians believe that the purity of our soul dictates whether or not we will enter our final resting place and that resurrection will occur which differs from the beliefs of the Gita. Patrick Zukeran argues that “Heaven is the final goal reached after our pilgrimage here on earth. We will rest from our sufferings and struggles against sickness, the flesh, the world, and the devil”. When one discovers peace with God they will no longer fear death. Once our soul reaches heaven, one will feel incredible peace. Christian theology also believes that some souls will be tormented in hell during the Last Judgment. Mark 9, 47 states, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell”. God is speaking metaphorically, but is saying that we should do anything to avoid sin, which can restrict one from salvation. The text gives a clear indication of another dimension, where the soul can go and where God is not present. The body of the human is physical, but the soul never perishes, after death, there will be a judgment day. In Hinduism, being reincarnate is a form of punishment, while in Christianity it is either the purgatory or hell. Though the process of reincarnation, one’s intellect, action etc. is transmitted to another body. The separation of the subtle body defines death in Hinduism. According to chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita the three kinds of doorways to hell are lust, anger and greed; therefore, these three are so destructive to the embodied self must be abandoned. Anger can lead to murder, and greed lead to one being ambitious and committing acts that are against the will of God.
Catholicism and Hinduism share a similar ideology of a judgment day. The body of the human is physical, but our soul is eternal. We are in this world to fulfill some sort of Dharma. Through prayer, obedience, and performing good deeds, eternal life will be achieved. No longer, will the soul be hurt because of sin, we will be liberated from it and be united with Brahma or God. The information I have gathered has helped me grow intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. To explain if there is life after death, religions have created theories such as there being an afterlife and reincarnation in order to cope with death. Despite Genesis and Bhagavad Gita originating from distinctive religions, this demonstrates that religions are not so different.