Chapter 4: Reflections from the Hindu Scriptures

In contrast to Confucius and his writings, the Bhagavad Gita has some different ideas on what a good society should be comprised of. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells that the way to achieve nirvana while still remaining active in the world is to be free of all attachments. This person does not have any desires. This is a very difficult thing and that is why it is very difficult to achieve nirvana. Krishna is somewhat vague when it comes to telling Arjuna why he should perform his duty as a warrior. He tells him that those who fight such battles are given "an open door to Heaven." It is sort of like it is just Arjuna's duty to fight because it is what the higher powers want. He also tells him that if he does not fight, that he is "abandoning his duty and his fame."

Krishna describes the god society as basically being that of a caste system, which was in place in India. The caste system was quite discriminatory and if you were born into a certain caste, it was extremely difficult to leave it. The four divisions of the caste system mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita are the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas, and Sudras. While the Sudras are the lowest class of the caste system mentioned here, they are still higher than the Untouchables, who are not even mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna explains that a good society is one in where everyone stays in their own places and does their own duties. He would rather have someone performing their own duty incorrectly than have someone performing someone else's duty perfectly. That's an interesting statement. 

A major theme that I see present in this Hindu passage is conformity. It seems that they liked everyone to play by the rules and not really ask a lot of questions or question why they might be doing what they were doing. As long as you were doing job, regardless of how "defective" it might be, you were pretty much in the clear. Don't rock the boat! Another theme that I found a little bit more comforting was the theme of rebirth. They also talk about how once someone dies, it is certain that they will be reborn, and vice versa. 

Compared to the Analects by Confucius, the Bhagavad Gita does seem very different. Confucius' work appeared to be much more inclusive and focused on being a good person and a good leader. I felt like the Hindu text was less geared towards individuals and more geared towards groups getting their job done. And if they got their job done, everything was going to be okay. However, I do think that one thing that the two have in common is the way the Confucius talked about being the best person that you can be and how Krishna also mentions how you can become the best person you can be (he mentions it is like assimilating to Brahmins, the highest class). Nevertheless, each of the texts provided some sort of groundwork for achieving the best version of yourself.