I always had an idea that teachings of Gita perches peace. But few days back someone told me that certain verses of Gita can be derogatory or at least misleading. I thought this was merely an attempt to exhibit pseudo secularism. For some its a liberal and modern thinking to criticize every bit of religious scriptures or practices without careful scrutiny. Though my friend’s comments about Gita did not go well with me. Still I did not indented to repeat his mistake.
I did my research on internet and tried to go through some critical explanation of Gita. I found out that few of the teaching like continuing to put on effort without considering the result may be taken as wrong accord. Like if a thief continues to steal without thinking of the result. Or a murderer continues to murder without considering the result. Also Lord Krishna says to Arjun that as he is Khatriya he must fight. So if he is prosecuting for the khatriya’s to have right to kill.
Now answer to these lies to one thing Dharma is a broader concept and cannot be understood with low level of intelligence. Gita asks to perform ones duty with all the effort and concentration. Dharma prosecutes about a rightful path and performing the duty one is assigned. Now Dharma preaches Ahimsa but at the same time if your country or your home is being raided by someone its your duty as well to protect your family.
In this respect there is a story. Once their was a poisonous snake who had killed many people. One day he met a hermit the hermit preached him not to harm anyone. Few months passed. Then one day again the hermit met the snake. The snake was in disastrous condition. The hermit asked him what had happened to him. The snake replied that ever since the hermit preached him Ahimsa he is being attacked by people who feel he does not have the ability to attack anyone now. The hermit said to him dont bite people but dont forget to hiss..
Dharma speaks of fighting for justice and fighting for right. Yes the definition of right is different for different people. But only things that is for greater good for the larger part of the society or world is the right path. Dharma always speaks of asking questions to self and find answer to those in the right of knowledge.
Buddhism emphasized Dharma. It preaches non violence. But Buddhist monks were being allowed to have animal flesh. But meats of only those animal was allowed that was not killed for them. Buddhist monks used to travel from city to city and used to beg for food and the locals used to consume flesh so they used to provide meat to the Buddhist monks as well and the monks were allowed to consume that . But they themselves were not allowed to kill animals for food. The concept may sound confusing but in reality dharma says to lead a life where you would commit less crime. The concept has similarity with the concept of Christianity which says we are all sinners who have taken birth in the world. And one form or other you have to commit many sins to live but Dharma asks one to commit as less crimes as possible. It can be viewed as humanity rather than anything.
So as understandable these concepts are not easy to understand and path of righteousness can never be easy to both pursue and understand.
Same goes for every other concept.
Father Abraham existed in around 1990 BCE. He was the founder of Abrahamic religion. According to a legend there was a prophecy that he will have a son heir of who will be rightful owners of the holy land. His wife Sarah for a long time did not have a child so she sends her maid Hagar to Abraham. Abraham had a son in name of Ishmael with Hager. But according to the prophecy Abraham was supposed to have a child with Sarah his wife and half sister. Isaac was born to Sarah. His son was Isaac who had sons Esau and Jacob with Rebecca. Jacob had 12 sons, who were head of 12 tribes of Jews.
They were descendent by King David and Jesus Christ. Followers of Jesus Christ are Christians.
While the follower Ishmael was Islam. The followers of Ishmael believed that they were the rightful owners of the holy land of Jerusalem. And hence follow a war for centuries to claim the holy land. Terms of Jihad and Crusades were coined which claim lives of thousands. The term Jihad is in existence even today and it has given birth to modern terrorism in many part of the world. But in reality it means a battle with oneself. A battle to find truth.
On an estimate about 18 milion people have died in this battle for holy land lasted for centuries and that does not include Modern day war with Israel and Palestine.
In the modern period about a century or two back perhaps, there was an introduction of the concept of Communism. Not Communism prosecutes a system of stateless theory and it relates itself with liberation moment all around the world and it speaks about fight for oppressor. Now it has to be understood when the fight is for liberation and for oppressor and when the fight is a state sponsored terrorism. Communism if not properly understood can present itself to a state of never ending anarchy.
An estimation suggest about 94 million people had died in name of communism much more than crusades.
65 million in the People’s Republic of China
- 20 million in the Soviet Union
- 2 million in Cambodia
- 2 million in North Korea
- 7 million in Ethiopia
- 5 million in Afghanistan
- 1 million in the Eastern Bloc
- 1 million in Vietnam
- 150,000 in Latin America, mainly Cuba
- 10,000 deaths “resulting from actions of the international Communist movement and Communist parties not in power.
These are accord of death of communism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Book_of_Communism
Communism had resulted in more number of deaths than even Nazism
Now radicalism in religion is understandable as its associated with pragmatic thoughts and beliefs. But death in name of liberal thinking? Its hard to understand.
So its an appeal to all and sundry that before following any concept try to understand in thoroughly and in the end the best concept of life is humanity…
