Last we complete our synthesis of ultimate reality in the Bhagavad Gita by comparing its doctrines with other religions. Since we have only examined Judaism so far, I am reluctant to probe too deeply into areas of overlap with the other living religions, but some comments seem appropriate. Obviously as an offshoot of Hinduism, Buddhism shares many points from the Gita such as karma, samsara, moksha. We will have to wait until that section to see to how other principles such as the existence of a unitary deity and the yoga disciplines compare. We will also have to wait on similarities and differences with respect to Daoism.
Compared to the Western religions including Judaism, which we have already examined, and Christianity and Islam with which the reader is likely familiar, we see some similarities and some divergences. Most obviously, all three are monotheistic, although the tripartite deity of Christianity diverges somewhat from the ‘unitary’ deity of the others. Of course the Old Testament mentions ‘gods’ other than Jehovah even if later sources deny them. Islam comes the closest to the Hindu model here with its most fundamental statement: “There is no God but Allah…” All three religions also believe God is personally interested in humanity, though only Christianity accepts an incarnation of the divine (as Christ). None however imagine God as ‘friend’ which in my opinion is perhaps the most unique and uplifting facet of the Gita.
The Western religions seem to be more dualistic than Hinduism and offer only vague similarities in regard to Hindu metaphysical concepts. For example, heavenly existence and Christian resurrection are analogous to moksha, but the differences are significant and Judaism is ambiguous on this. The concept of predestination is the closest that Western religions come to karma, but the former references mainly salvation rather than consequences of actions. None of the three Western religions accepts reincarnation (samara). However, the Western concept of the human ‘soul’ and Meister Eckhart’s ‘inner man’ seem to correspond well with the atman.
Finally the three yogas are only weakly duplicated in Western religions. Bhakti yoga (the path of devotion) finds an analogy in Christianity, Islam, and possibly Judaism, which teach that devotion to God and charity to others is the holy way for humankind. Karma yoga (the path of action) may be mirrored in part by the Christian crusades and Islamic jihads, but the spirit is quite different – not action to sustain society per se, but to disseminate the faith. I see little in the three religions that compares to jnana yoga (the path of knowledge) though of course all three emphasize the importance of the rabbi (teacher), priest, minister, or imam.
In closing, the religions of the world share much that Krishna teaches on ultimate reality in the Bhagavad Gita, but none express it so elegantly or so practically in a single document. This is what makes the Gita so precious a text.
Next time we discuss our first later thinker, Patanjali – join me then.
