In this class (Class 16 on Sunday, March 24th at 9:30 am), we discuss verses 2.17 to 2.27 of the Bhagavad Gita.
In our next class (Class 17 on Sunday, April 7th at 9:30 am), we will discuss verses 2.26 to 2.38 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Study Questions for our next Gita class (Class 17 on Sunday, April 7th, 2024).
1. In verse 2.22 of the Gītā, Lord Krishna affirms the doctrine of rebirth. Do the doctrines of karma and rebirth play a significant role in your day-to-day spiritual life? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?
2. Some followers of orthodox Christianity and Islam criticize the Hindu doctrine of rebirth, arguing (1) that it detracts from the unique value and significance of this particular life and (2) that it breeds spiritual complacency or laziness (since those who believe in rebirth know that this is not the only life in which they need to make spiritual progress). What do you think of these two arguments against the doctrine of rebirth? How convincing do you find them? How might a proponent of rebirth respond to these objections?
3. Sri Aurobindo’s interpretation of 2.28 (“avyaktādīni bhūtāni…”) is as follows: “Its [the soul’s] birth is an appearing out of some state in which it is not non-existent but unmanifest to our mortal senses, its death is a return to that unmanifest world or condition and out of it it will again appear in the physical manifestation.” Compare Sri Aurobindo’s interpretation of 2.28 with Swami Tapasyananda’s interpretation of 2.28. Which, if either, do you find more plausible and why?
4. Sri Aurobindo’s interpretation of 2.29 (“āścaryavat…”) is as follows: “All are that Self, that One, that Divine whom we look on and speak and hear of as the wonderful beyond our comprehension, for after all our seeking and declaring of knowledge and learning from those who have knowledge no human mind has ever known this Absolute.” What do you think Sri Aurobindo means when he says that “no human mind has ever known this Absolute”?
5. Do you have any questions about the reading? Did you have difficulty understanding anything? Do you have any doubts or confusions?
Please submit your responses to the Study Questions by SATURDAY, APRIL 6TH at 7 pm by completing this online form:
[ Ссылка ]
Main textbook: Sri Aurobindo’s Essays on the Gita:
[ Ссылка ]
Supplementary texts:
* Sri Aurobindo, Bhagavad Gita and its Message, edited by Anilbaran Roy ([ Ссылка ])
* Swami Tapasyananda’s Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā: The Scripture of Mankind ([ Ссылка ])
* Swami Chidbavananda’s The Bhagavad Gita ([ Ссылка ])
* Śaṅkara's commentary on the Gita ([ Ссылка ])
* Rāmānuja’s commentary on the Gita ([ Ссылка ])
Gita app based on Sri Aurobindo’s commentary:
Android: [ Ссылка ]
iPhone: [ Ссылка ]
