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RLST1002 Essay

The Upanishads In The Bhagavadgita, And Influence


On Indian Thought
440340195

4. Assess the main ways in which the Bhagavad Gt


enunciates but also problematizes
Upanishadic thought
Key to the overwhelming pervasiveness and popularity of the Bhagavad Gt for Indian and
Western spiritual practitioners is its myriad of potential interpretable meanings which can be
drawn from the texts central themes of devotion and renunciation. These interpretations on the
devotional theme are crucial to the texts situation relative to the previous body of scripture, the
Upanishads. Although there are over two hundred Upanishads currently discovered, this essay
will heavily focus on the first dozen, known as the principal Upanishads- which outline an
esoteric set of teachings on the self and soul, ethics or dharma, spiritual practice, and the nature
of reality. Based on the nature of a particular method of scriptural interpretation, the Gt can
become a final enunciation of Upanishadic transcendentalism, seeing Kr s n a as merely an
avatar of Visnu, Brahman and the divine, or one that sees the worship of Kr s n a himself as the
key message of the text, thus indicating a departure from the non-dualism of the Upanishads. In
this analysis care must be taken to not fall to the pitfalls of orientalism- either by othering the
these traditions as distinctly foreign or assimilating their message into simplistic western
models, erasing the nuance and unique substance within each text.

Rather than attempt to produce a definitive interpretation of the central Upanishads, this work
will outline the philosophy of the Upanishads according to the Advita Vedanta school, which
monistically equates the Atman, or true divine self with Brahman, the universal life force within
all living beings, and that this unsubtratable reality transcends lesser experience such as
appearances. (Anderson, 2012: 276) Here is important to question the veracity of Advaita
Vedanta school as an valid representation of the Upanishads. Indeed, historically Advaita was a
particularly favored school of thought among western orientalists, among an entire field of
traditions which have been constructed largely by agents of colonialism. (Nicholson, 2010: 5)
Since Edward Saids essential 1978 volume Orientalism, early interpreters and theorists of

Hindu culture have been critiqued as causing the erasure of precolonial traditions by their
displacement by a fabricated unified world religion of Hinduism, which proponents argue had no
coherent existence before British imperialism. (Flood, 2003: 27) Ram-Prasad argues
interpretations like Advaita are part of a framework created by orientalism and adopted by
prominent Hindu nationalists- but that these beliefs are still fundamentally constructed by
colonialism. (ibid) However, this thesis is problematized by Andrew Nicholsons book Unifying
Hinduism (2010) which highlights that although orientalists personal biases heavily influenced
their work, they were actually working from legitimate material- the work of late-medieval
philosophers, notably Vijnanabhiksu, (Nicholson, 2010: 6) which unified and systematized what
we now call Hindu thought across Vedic and even non-Vedic beliefs. Attempting to reach
synthesis between imperialist interpretations of Hindu scripture and post-orientalist theory,
Nicholson argues orientalism represents an influential factor upon, rather than a genesis of,
popular, unifying theories of Hinduism like Advaita Vedanta. Hence to claim perspectives like
Advaita are entirely constructed is to negate the popularity, legacy legitimacy of writers like
Shankara and Gaudapa who are part of the precolonial tradition.

The teachings of the Upanishads are draped in an esotericism which extends even to the
etymology of the term Upanishad itself, meaning to sit down near, since the texts are mostly
transcriptions of didactic discussions between master and student, to be contextually used in a
similar rarified setting. (Black, 2007: 6) Thus to many thinkers (Hume, 1931: 66) the Upanishads
represent an exclusive set of wisdoms which would be articulated in more grandiose imagery to
the public in the Bhagavad Gt. Hume (1931: 21) summarises a Taittiriya Upanishad story
whereby Brahman, the entity responsible for the formation of the world, enters himself into it,
symbolizing the shift from the vedic conception of Brahman as a dominating masculine creator
to the Upanishadic ideal of a genderless, monistic energy. Indeed, Gavin Flood (1994: 84)
identifies a shift where the beginning of the Upanishads sees an abstraction in the Brahman
concept from a simple ritual power to an essential truth of the soul, and the foundation of the
universe. The Advaita Vedanta schools observance of didactic dialogues in the Katha
Upanishad, further sees Brahman dissected in depth. The text promotes individual development
through spiritual practice using the symbol of the chariot- with the Atman as Charioteer, mind as
reigns, and senses, or carnal desires, as horses. (Deutsch, 2004: 32) The way to self-mastery
and enlightenment is to connect the mind not only with the senses but also the true self, as
disconnection on either end will ensure lack of discipline or detachment from the divine. Advaita
uses explanation of Brahman from the text such as "Brahman is Reality, Knowledge, and
Infinity", (Mascaro, 1965: 110) "Brahman is Consciousness, (Aitareya Upanishad 3.1.3)
"Brahman is bliss" (Mascaro, 1965: 111) to argue that essence of Brahman is satcitananda
(truth, consciousness, bliss). This outlines the way for individuals to reach an enlightened stateto simply connect with the universal essence one is comprised of, to know your atman.
Additionally, this requires not simply knowledge, but experiential practice, rather than simply
knowledge and ritual action. (Mascaro, 1965: 49) Although no systematized philosophy is being
communicated in the Upanishads, the Advaita school considers this to be the central message.

Although narratively it is contained within the Kurukshetra war of the Mahabharata, Hindu
students of the Gt consider the text to be a continuation of the Upanishads. A.C. Prabhubada
(1989: 29) writer of the widely distributed Bhagavad Gt As It Is and leader of the Krishna
Consciousness movement, a worldwide tradition observing renunciation and a direct
interpretation of the Gt, refers to the text as the Gitopanisad, as the essence of the
Upanishads. Notable writer, activist and partner of M.K. Gandhi, Mahadev Desai, and Gandhi
himself (1965: 6) write the Gt essentially is an Upanishad, and argue features of the text try to
the Upanishads to try and solidify the connection. For example, Kr s n as role as a charioteer
can be compared to the chariot motif in the Katha Upanishad, linking mind, body, and soul, with
Brahman as the charioteer- illustrating Kr s n as supreme divinity. (ibid) Moreover, they compare
the Mundaka Upanishad (Mascaro, 1965: 80) wherein the description of the cosmic person with
moon and sun as eyes, vedas as speech, etc. to the eleventh chapter of the Gt where Kr s n a
reveals his universal form to Arjuna (Desai and Gandhi, 1946: 6). Desai argues the embodiment
extends beyond borrowed imagery- that one effect of the Gts grand narrative, and its hero,
Kr s n a, is that previously esoteric practice became a living reality for unlettered, lowly and lost,
that if the Upanishads represent Hinduisms new testament, the Gt is the gospel itself (Desai
and Gandhi, 1946: 18). In this sense, the Gt enunciates the esoteric word of the Upanishads,
and presents its basic concepts in a more accessible fashion.

However, the Gts accessibility means it must address the issues of followers living outside the
sheltered, devotional, renunciatory milieu of the Upanishads. If the conclusion of the
Upanishads is that oneness with the ultimate reality of Brahman, and the negation of the world
of perception and action is the true purpose of life, the Gt addresses the more practical need
for societal function through action. It outlines a path to enlightenment through bhakti or
devotion, rather than knowledge, contemplation and mysticism (Buitenen, 1969: 4). Kr s n a
infact criticizes jnana yoga, one of the cornerstones of Upanishadic practice, preferring bhakti,
which is accessible to all, rather than just to the Brahman caste. This bhakti is towards the
qualities of the supreme personality of Kr s n a, rather than to a mystical, unperceivable
Brahman. The contribution of the Gt to Hinduism is synthesizing monism and theism,
appealing to the life of renunciation and life in a world which depends on action.

It is at this axis of action and devotion where the ethics of the Gt diverge from that of the
Upanishads. The Upanishads emphasis on a monistic Brahman is seen by Nadkarni (2011: 221)
to lead to a renunciatory, absolutist view of ethics with the concept of ahimsa, meaning not
simply non-violence, but non-harm, physical, emotional, or otherwise, reflected in the
Chaandogya Upanishad (Mascaro, 1965: 126). This sentiment is mirrored by Arjuna at the
beginning of the Gt who not only raises hesitance to fight because of his family members
present with the Kaurava forces, but because of the inherent oneness of all beings, united by
Brahman. (Zaehner, 1969: 311) Kr s n as solution to the dilemma of potentially committinghimsa
through ones dharma, in this case Arjunas caste dharma as a Kshatriya, is to commit to the
action, but devote the results to god. In essence, instead of disconnecting from the world of
action, do the action, while detaching oneself from the result, thus taking no glory or ethical
consequences, as in the case of Arjuna on the battlefield. This is Kr s n as synthesis of

renunciation and action, and one of the most universally appealing ideas of the text, that all
action is holy if it is inline with ones dharma and if one remains detached from the outcome.

In post-independence India, the result of differing messages in the Upanishads and the Gt has
been a variety of unifying interpretations from notable nationalist theologians and writers. For
Mohandas K. Gandhi, icon and public intellectual of the independence movement, the passivist,
nonviolent value of ahimsa was tantamount, but also held close the message of action within
the Gt. (Gowda, 2011: 168) Thus, since metaphorical writing was commonplace in this period,
the ethical inconsistency between the two texts could be resolved by claiming the context of the
Gt was symbolic for the inner conflict in all individuals. (ibid: 173) Additionally, Gandhi argued
that if one commits to the path of yoga identified in the text, himsa becomes impossible. Thus
although there may have been legitimate historical context to the battle, the author of the text
themself must have been writing metaphorically. Furthermore, by arguing for a simplified varna
system, which organizes society into four broad categories necessary for societal function, he
could argue for the continuation of varna dharma, (Lindley, 2002) and hence societal order,
while also stressing the spiritual importance of ahimsa as part of his independence project.

More conservative nationalist commentators have used the Gts diversion from the
Upanishads as a tool to promote not only independence, but a national religio-ethnic unity
among Indians and the creation of a modern self-interested nation-state. Lokmanya Bal
Gangadhar Tilak saw the Gt as a solution to the issue of inconsistency in the Hindu scriptures,
to which the Gt can serve as a final answer to settle internal contradictions. (Gowda, 2011:
53) More than this, however, Tilak saw the acquisition of jnana (eternal, sacred knowledge) and
the renunciation of worldly life as toxic to the foundation of an Indian nation. Instead, he
forwarded the Gt as a key nation building text, ideal for the creation of strong institutions and
mythology and traditions which are resilient to outside forces. (ibid: 52) It is a concise,
accessible synthesis of previous Hindu texts, which simultaneously expresses a strong ethics
system while also enunciating the need for societal order and action.

Thus, although many perspectives exist within the Upanishadic texts, it can be agreed that a
common theme among interpretations is a renunciation of, and detachment from, worldly life.
This is in favor of obtaining the knowledge of ones atman thus connecting with the universal life
principle of Brahman which is the realisation of consciousness, truth, and bliss. For some, the
Gt represents the ultimate enunciation of this, with Krsna simply an avatar for the divine to
which the Upanishads refer. But the Gita also inarguably attempts to simplify a broad range of
Hindu scripture and make religion more accessible to the non-Brahmin classes. However, in
synthesizing the ethical concerns of ahimsa and varna dharma, and the paths of jnana yoga and
bhakti yoga, some have interpreted the Gita as a departure from the monism of the Upanishads.
Nationalists have appropriated it as a unique text, promoting a form of devotion accessible to all,
which builds on a strong ethical tradition and erases the more destabilizing mystical aspects of
previous scripture.

References
Black, Brian. 2007. The Character Of The Self In Ancient India. Albany: State University of New
York Press.
Buitenen, J. A. B. van. 1968. Rmnuja On The Bhagavadgt. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
Desai, Mahadev H and Mohandas K Gandhi. 1946. The Gita According To Gandhi. Ahmedabad:
Navajivan Pub. House.
Deutsch, Eliot and Rohit Dalvi. 2004. The Essential Vedanta. Bloomington: World Wisdom.
Flood, Gavin D. 2003. The Blackwell Companion To Hinduism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.
Hume, Robert Ernest. 1934. The Thirteen Principal Upanishads Tr. From The Sanskrit. London:
O.U.P.
Lindley, Mark. 2002. "Changes In Mahatma Gandhis Views On Caste And Intermarriage".
Hacettepe University Social Sciences Journal 1.
Mascaro, Juan. 1965. The Upanishads. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books.
Nadkarni, M. V. 2011. Ethics For Our Times. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Nagappa Gowda, K. 2011. The Bhagavadgita In The Nationalist Discourse. New Delhi: Oxford
University Press.
Nicholson, Andrew J. 2010. Unifying Hinduism. New York: Columbia University Press.
Zaehner, R. C. 1969. The Bhagavad-Gt. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

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