8) Explain how life and death are intertwined, mutually constituting
processes.
Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita, or Gita, throughout the book talks at length about life and
death, tells the warrior Arjuna that he should not fear it, but confront it, and he is even a
representation of death itself (kāla in Indian, also can mean time on page 162). Krishna tells
Arjuna he should look beyond himself, beyond his “individual desires” (page 13); to let go of his
attachments and accept his role because he and those he must kill cannot escape it. He says
“Death is certain for anyone born, and birth is certain for the dead; since the cycle is inevitable,
you have no cause to grieve!” Krishna’s idea seems to indicate, at least to me, that there is an
interconnectedness to everything. All living things have a cycle of birth-life-death-rebirth that is
recognizable in nature.1 This includes fruit that falls from trees, and rot in the ground to make
room for more. Perennials that bloom all season long, and wilt with the changes of the season
for the next harvest. You can make connections with the changes of the moon and the sun.
Even the stages of a butterfly’s metamorphosis undergo that same cycle until eventually, life
makes its full circle. Krishna tries to reconcile that death is certain - not that it is negligible, but
that it should not paralyze you because life is not. I understand what he says, personally, as a
means to remind us that life is short, it can be painful and unforgiving, but it can be meaningful
if you make it so. This is a more positive interpretation of Krishna’s words, but I don’t think
what he saying is all about violence and destruction at all, which is why I take the BhagavadGita is such an important text.
References
“Cycle of Birth and Death - The Nature of Human Life in Hinduism - GCSE Religious Studies
Revision - AQA.” BBC Bitesize,
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zmgny4j/revision/3. Accessed 3 Feb. 2021.
Christopher Thul - 15) How can the self act without being an actor?
What is the outcome of action without self?
Hi, Chris!
I enjoyed your take on this question. This was a hard one, but you answered it perfectly. From
what I understand, the self can act without being an actor by becoming resilient to the things
that happen to us that are difficult or stressful. And action without self is a matter of
understanding the parts of ourselves that are flawed or that we cannot control so we can make
better connections with people. So, for example, when I am criticized for a grade, if I am not
satisfied, my action would be to complain and say the grade I received was unfair. Instead, I
should first consider why I received this grade, and improve on the next performance. It seems,
to me, Lord Krishna is teaching Arjuna how to build character by guiding him through the
challenges he must face. Today, I understand the enlightened state not necessarily about not
having an opinion, but by not letting our emotions cloud our judgements; facing uneasy
problems head-on; and extending ourselves beyond our limited scope of self-interests and
desires - which Lord Krishna credits is the real evil (page 12).
Thanks for the great post!