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Bhagavad Gita

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Biblical Characters

The Resume

    (circa 500 BC-circa 200 BC)
    Born in India
    Translates as ‘Song of the Divine One’
    One of the most sacred Hindu texts
    Depending on the manuscript, consists of 700-745 verses
    Written in Sanskrit
    Composed between 500—100 BC

Why Bhagavad Gita might be annoying:

    It is but a small part of a far longer work, the Mahabharata epic.
    Much of it consists of the god Krishna persuading warrior-prince Arjuna to fight his friends and family.
    It endorses caste, a strict hereditary class system.
    It is a key text of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, seen by some as a new age cult.
    It inspired the ‘Hare Krishna’ mantra, heard in airports the world over.
    It has been embraced and trivialized by Western celebrities and backpackers.
    Translating it accurately into other languages has proved difficult.
    Robert Oppenheimer quoted from the Bhagavad Gita after the first test of a nuclear bomb: ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’

Why Bhagavad Gita might not be annoying:

    It is the most popular and accessible of the sacred Hindu texts.
    It counters the stereotype that Hinduism is a purely pacifistic religion.
    It describes and reconciles many branches of Hindu philosophy.
    It encourages followers to transcend their attachment to the material world.
    However, it also teaches that one must honor one’s duties in day-to-day life.
    It provides many Westerners with their first look at Hinduism.
    Henry David Thoreau had a copy with him during his famous stay at Walden Pond.
    Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not one ray of light, I go back to Bhagavad-Gita.’

Credit: Georgina


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 11 Votes: 18.18% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 14 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 30 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 17 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 19 Votes: 47.37% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 57 Votes: 73.68% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 54 Votes: 64.81% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 33 Votes: 60.61% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 81 Votes: 74.07% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 25 Votes: 52.00% Annoying