Bhagavad-Gita: Government's In

A detailed Summary of Bhagavad-Gita: Government's In

Government's Influence and the Bhagavad-Gita

Barbara Stoler Miller's translation of The Bhagavad-Gita reveals the teachings of Krishna to the Hindu people during a war in which individuals question the morality of their situation. One interesting aspect is how rulers play into the text and how the teachings of Krishna support and veer away from the leadership of the people. There are many characteristics of the Hindu people that make them agreeable to government rule; however, most of them have a downside as well.

There are many ways in which these teachings assist the government. Krishna teaches that people must do their duty. It is stated, "Always perform with detachment any action you must do; performing action with detachment, one achieves supreme good." (Miller, 43) Through detaching themselves from their required duties and by seeing through what they are asked to do, including things asked to do by the government leaders such as fighting a war, they are gaining religiously in the end. This helps leaders because it gives them an extra boost when trying to control the people or make them do something they are not happy about. The people can be reminded of their duty and then will feel the need to conform with the

There are many characteristics described in the Bhagavad-Gita which promote conformity with the government: "Nonviolence, truth, absence of anger, disengagement, peace, loyalty, compassion for creatures, lack of greed, gentleness, modesty, reliability; brilliance, patience, resolve, clarity, absence of envy and of pride...". (Miller, 133) Characteristics such as these, if lived up to, develop a very reliable and government-prone people. For example, the characteristic of loyalty would indicate that people are loyal to the government and willing to defend the government if need be. If there is absence of anger, then the people would not fight amongst themselves and there would be less need for the government to worry about internal affairs if there were outside affairs that needed their attention.

One aspect of Krishna's teachings that combats rebellion against government or other authority is the idea of discipline. It is stated, "A man of discipline should always discipline himself, remain in seclusion, isolated, his thought and self well controlled, without possessions or hope." (Miller, 64). If someone is controlling their thoughts and actions and practicing the teaching of discipline, they are not likely to make offense against the government or cause disruptions. The disciplined man is always looking for ways to be more controlled in themselves, and therefore would look highly upon governance and rules, because t

Some common words found in the essay are:
Krishna Hindu, Stoler Miller's, hindu people, teachings krishna, government's influence, absence anger, own duty, people duty, idea classes,

Approximate Word count = 966
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion