Ethics in Classical Hindu Philosophy: Provinces of Consequence, Agency, and Value in the Bhagavad Gītā and Other Epic and Śāstric Texts

The idea of a univocal property of ‘goodness’ is not clearly found in classical Sanskrit sources; instead, a common ethical strategy was to clarify the ontological nature of the self or world in such a way that ethical implications naturally flow from the adjustment in our thinking. This article gives a synoptic reading of sources that treat features of ethics—dispositions, agents, causal systems of effect, and even values themselves—as emergent phenomena grounded in complex, shifting, porous configurations. One conclusion of this was that what ‘goodness’ entails varies according to the scope and context of our concern. Firstly, we examine how the Bhagavad Gītā fashions a utilitarianism that assumes no universal intrinsically valuable goal or Good, but aims only to sustain the world as a prerequisite for choice. Recognising that this pushes problems of identifying the Good onto the individual; secondly, we look at accounts of malleable personhood in the Caraka Saṃhitā and Book 12 of the Mahābhārata. Finally, the aesthetic theory of the Nāṭya Śāstra hints at a context-constituted conception of value itself, reminding us that evaluative emotions are themselves complex, curate-able, and can expand beyond egoism to encompass interpersonal concerns. Together these sources show aspects of an ethical worldview for which each case is a nexus in a larger ethical fabric. Each tries to pry us away from our most personal concerns, so we can reach beyond the ego to do what is of value for a wider province of which we are a part.

Kajian Bhagavad Gītā Terhadap Makna Prasadam Bagi Masyarakat Hindu di Bali

<em><span lang="EN-US">Prasadam in Hinduism is a term in Sanskrit which means God's gift, which is the result or remnant of an offering to Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa who has been purified. In the Hindu community in Bali the term lungura/surudan is better known than the term prasadam. Related to the phenomenon of prasadam, after being investigated, it turns out that the term lunguran/surudan indicates the strata or class of a dish that starts with the offering (bebanten), complete with food, after being offered, the contents of the bakuten turn into lunguran/surudan, which is ready to be enjoyed as a form of grace from Ida Sang Hyang Widhi or Ida Bhatara-Bhatari who has been presented with a sincere heart and has sacred values </span><span lang="EN-US">and is meaningful as prasadham (holy dish). The Bhagavad Gītā states that, those who eat holy food after going through an offering or sacrifice will attain eternal Brahman (God). So there is no reason to think, whether to accept or desire to refuse the blessings of the blessing of Prasadam, because it has previously been offered as a sacred dish for Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa and His manifestations.</span></em>

Comparative Reading as an interfaith dialogue: Reincarnation in the Bhagavad Gita and Resurrection in Thomistic Theology

In a context such as India, religious differences are the focal point of almost every sociopolitical interaction amid growing religious intolerance. This article proposes comparative theology as a viable approach because it takes religious diversity seriously and accords due respect to other religious texts and practices. But while seeking knowledge that bridges religious boundaries, one may confront the possibility of confronting “logically inassimilable” differences in the form of conflicting truth claims. This article will argue that by using apologetics as a truth-seeking endeavor we can constructively approach such instances of cognitive dissonance. For this purpose, a comparative study of reincarnation from the Bhagavad Gita and the resurrection from Thomistic theology will be used as a case study.

The Bhagavad Gita

The chapter defends an interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita as a self-cultivation philosophy. First, it depicts our existential starting point as a state of anxiety, fear, confusion, and worry. Second, it describes the ideal state of being as a life of wisdom, union with the divine, self-control, peace, renunciation of desire, freedom from attachments and disruptive emotions, and performance of our duties—and ultimately liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Third, its transformation program includes spiritual exercises that emphasize philosophical reflection, meditative understanding, the purification of our affective states, and the reformation of our habits, all under the guidance of Krishna (namely, action, knowledge, and devotion yoga). Finally, this analysis is based on a complex conception of human nature according to which, though our true self appears to be prakṛti (matter), it is in fact puruṣa (spirit), and it is connected to other persons and the divine, especially Krishna.