Essay On Moksha And Bhagavad Gita

The Hindu then worships puja by giving flowers and fruits and finally the Hindu eats the blessed food. By following these steps Hindu believe they become closer to the deity. (asms.k12.ar.us) Hindu’s also have many festivals to celebrate their religion. Lohari is an example of one of the festivals. Lohari takes place in the winter at night in Northern India. The people build a bonfire and throw popcorn, peanuts and sesame candies into the fire. By throwing these objects into the fire it is symbolic by throwing one’s evil into the fire, and also asking for blessings for the following year. Holi is another celebration which is considered to be the celebration of the death of winter and the return on spring. (Fisher 105-106)

Astrological calendars have been in existence since ancient times where time was measured according to the number of Moons that had passed in a certain period, or in consonance with the shadows that were cast by either the Sun or Moon. Solar years are calculated based on the sun’s motions, whereas lunar years are mutually based on the moons motions. A lunar year consists of approximately 354 days, whereas there are 365 days in solar year. By virtue of the eleven day disparity between a solar and lunar year, an additional month is added to the lunar calendar every three years, and as for the solar calendar, every fourth year, a leap day is added to the month of February. A lunar year is comprised of twelve lunar months, which corresponds to the time that elapses as the moon carries out each of its phases and proceeds to its position of origin. In contrast, a solar month is one twelfth of a solar year, given that a solar year is span of time that elapses as the Earth completes a single revolution around the sun.

Another teaching the “Bhagavad Gita” offers is stability of mind. Knowing our own mind can help us understand the world we are living in, react to problems, and make sure we can change them to ensure survival. This can help us with challenging decisions,

As a first generation Indian-American, I am no stranger to being a part of a distinct community while observing two unique cultures. Traveling to India exposed me to a dynamic population with rich diversity comprising of numerous languages and differing religions. Though these individuals may have had differing customs from their neighbors, there were similar ambitions to conquer grinding poverty. This poverty can be clearly noticed by seeing citizens sleeping on floors of a railway station, or the lack of air conditioning in searing hot weather. The frailty and mortality of the human condition was starkly visible in India. As a fellow human, I was humbled not only by the lack of privilege and opportunity of many citizens, but also by their

“The Inconvenient Indian” speaks to a general audience and particularly to US and Canada. The book is organized into chapters and each chapter refers to a variety of themes. Some of these themes are history, culture, politics, and laws. By incorporating all these themes,

The word Hindu has evolved from being the word the Persians used for the Indus River in 500 BC to the accepted name for the primary religion of India this name was originally given by foreign rulers and ultimately used by Europeans in the 1500's as the official name of the religion. History plays an important part of Hinduism because new developments reinterpret an update past practices rather than end them. The Hindu religion is broke down into three periods the Vedic period, the Upanishadic period, the classical period, and the devotional period.

He states that “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike...” (Alexie, 13). He presents evidence on the stereotype laid upon Indians aimed at keeping them uneducated such as the expectation to be stupid and not answer any questions in class. From White‐Kaulaity’s perspective, the culture of reading was taken as less important and it was rare to find Indians reading at home (White‐Kaulaity, 3). As such, it seems that the stereotype barred the progress of literacy among Indians.

Lunar phase (or Moon phase) refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. The lunar phases vary cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. One half of the lunar

In the Bhagavad Gita, the fourth discourse which is composed of forty-two verses, Lord Krishna, the narrator guides Arjuna- a warrior who is finding himself pondering about the simple principles of life while he is fighting the war. In the fourth discourse Arjuna learns from Lord Krishna about faith, wisdom sacrifice, ignorance, doubts of the soul, action and inaction, selfless service, and self-realization which ultimately leads to the ultimate truth, which is the path for the spiritual soul to reach its maximum potential here on earth and the afterlife.

     Since Buddhism and Hinduism have different believes they also have different holy days. Moreover, because Hindus worship variety of gods they have a variety of festivals. The three main festivals of Hinduism are: Holi, Divali, and Dasehra. Holi is the most popular festival. This holy day is celebrated each year during February-March to welcome spring. “Holi is dedicated to god Krishna and it was once a fertility ceremony (104).” Throughout the days of Holi, many of the casts and taboo restrictions are set aside and pleasure is emphasized. The second ceremony Divali, celebrated in November, is a festival to welcome a new year. Finally the third festival, the Dasehra, celebrated up to nine days in October, in honor of Durga, a consort of Shiva. On the other hand Buddhism is divided in many ways according to philosophy and geography. The major festivals that are celebrated by most Buddhists are New Year, Buddha’s birthday, the festival of souls, and robe offering. In

Hinduism - stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live

* Describe when the ritual takes place. Does it respond to some particular event? It is held at specific time of year? Is it held on a regular basis? Is it performed only when needed?

Bhavagad-Gita, is the earliest known yoga scripture dated back to around 500 B.C. The Gita is dedicated entirely to yoga, its main aim is that -- "to be alive means to be active and in order to avoid difficulties in our lives and in others, our actions have to benign and have to exceed our egos." Its connection to the Upanishads is paralleled to the relationship between the Vedas and Upanishads, strengthening each other's meaning.

India gave birth to Hinduism which expanded quickly. This spiritual tradition focused on finding peace and eternal tranquility rather than temporary satisfaction from the worldly pleasures. In order to transmit the idea to other people and guide them through it, they came up with different writings to illustrate this. The Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads are popular writings that exemplify the beliefs and thoughts of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita addresses the question about how a person can be one with Brahman, the universal soul or god, while living in this world. This document is set as a dialogue between the warrior Arjuna and his guide and charioteer Krishna. Arjuna is being encouraged by Krishna to fulfill his duty as a warrior and part of the Kshatriyas, one of the higher divisions in the caste system. Arjuna has to enter this battle and fight in order to live up to his duty and consequently live free from attachments and walk in the path of finding himself as one with Brahman. On the other hand, the Upanishads guided all kinds of people regardless of

The dialogue of the Gita goes through a series of concepts such as the body/soul distinction, the principle of nonattached action, the virtues of discipline (yoga) and meditation. Jhana yoga is the first stage where a person acquires the knowledge of the inner self through study and contemplation and becomes aware of the importance of realizing his true self and achieving salvation. After acquiring knowledge, he turns to karma yoga to discharge his responsibilities towards himself. The