Siddhartha, the son of a Brahmin, progresses on a quest for the true meaning of life, or Nirvana, through constant movement between distinct paths in order to fulfill his feeling of emptiness. Throughout the novel “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse, Siddhartha learns that enlightenment comes from within, and initially commences to seek external guidance from the Brahmins, Samanas and Buddism. Since his childhood, the Brahmins deposited their absolute knowledge into his “waiting vessel”, his spiritual mind, yet he was still not at peace. The Brahmins teach Siddhartha the virtue of patience, the art of prayer as well as make him well-versed in the different rituals. The feeling of desolation immersed in him provokes Siddhartha’s determination to leave,…
A similarity between the Bhagavad Gita and the Epic of Gilgamesh is they both have great warriors, Gilgamesh and Arjuna. A difference between the two epics is how the gods are portrayed. In the Bhagavad Gita, the god took the form of Krishna and influences him directly. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods are transcendent and send a man to influence Gilgamesh. Krishna is an earthly carnation of Vishnu and Enkidu is a man created by the gods. In both epics, the main battles that Arjuna and Gilgamesh face are from within themselves. Gilgamesh is scared of death and goes on a quest for immortality. Arjuna wants to put down his arms and not fight his kin. Both deal with internal conflict rather than external.…
Attaining and living the “Good Life” does not always come easily. There are costs to living a fulfilling life and often times sacrifices must be made in order to do so. This is most notable in a few of the readings from the course. Siddhartha, from Hesse’s novel, exemplifies someone who so passionately wanted to find enlightenment that he was willing to give up his family, prior beliefs, and all of his belongings. Rama’s situation in the Ramayana also demonstrates the idea that the good life does not come without sacrifice. A final example of this idea is read in the Bhagavad-Gita where Krishna must put his family in danger on the battlefield to do what is right. After a more in depth look at the situations from these readings, it is ever more apparent that the good…
The Epic of Gilgamesh teaches that human life is difficult and immortality is only for the gods. P15…
Krishna tells Arjuna many things when they are together discussing the war. Krishna begins by telling Arjuna about the life and death cycle of a Hindus. The life and death cycle in Hinduism is based on the persons Karma. Their Karma is what decides the reincarnation process and/or being of their next body. In Hinduism the reason of the life and death cycle is to work on their Karma. Krishna then explains that truly divine humans find peace in serving the gods. Therefore, Arjuna needs to be at peace with what Krishna and the other gods are asking of him in this war. This was to explain to Arjuna that he needs to find peace in his actions but not to renounce his worldly possessions for it. Arjuna again is struggling with allowing his family fight in this war where they could lose their lives. Krishna then wants Arjuna to do this selfless service for him. Selfless service is a way of serving the gods and a good practice of Karma. Meditation is a way of arriving at selflessness. Meditation…
3. Aminata observed that “I had learned that there were times when fighting was impossible, when the best thing to do was to wait and to learn”. Explore whether this statement is true.…
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh the main character is portrayed as the strongest and biggest in the land. He is the mighty king of Uruk and some events came into his life, causing him to change who he was. He encounters a man of the wilderness that is as big and strong as him, they eventually become great friends, but then the man of the wilderness, Enkidu, dies. The way Gilgamesh changes are from those impactful events that come into his life, causing Gilgamesh to change his morality and attitude about death, from having is best friend die, and actually seeing death makes him want to be immortal, when he used to think death came upon everybody and it wasn’t a big deal, and…
Following the passing of Enkidu, his closest companion, he transforms into a man with a new purpose. Throughout his life, Gilgamesh has ruled his kingdom from afar, never connecting with his people. He has always been envious of the immortal gods because, though he is two-thirds god, he will never be immortal. Along his journey, he constantly grasps with chances to prove his equality to the gods, depicted perfectly in his defeat of Humbaba. With that in mind, it is clear Gilgamesh demonstrates his power as a king whenever he is given the opportunity. Though Gilgamesh may think that demonstrating his power prove his equality to the deities, it actually makes him more human in many ways. After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh begins to truly and deeply understand the capabilities of the gods he has strived his entire life to become. When he loses the plant of life, Gilgamesh realizes that he is not fit for immortal life and that he should move on because the dead will stay dead. Finally, because of this new found enlightenment, Gilgamesh is finally able to forgo his past desires and live freely without the weight of death, specifically Enkidu’s, on his shoulders. From Gilgamesh’s story of painful lessons turned positive, people can conclude and learn that at the end of every difficult journey, there will be development. However, in order to obtain the acceptance that although generations go by and people pass away, the cycle of life and the hand of time never stops, in essence, humanity never fades away. People going through hardships similar to that of Gilgamesh’s, need to learn the extremely difficult lesson, and undergo the journey, about life and more importantly, self-discovery. For Gilgamesh this means living in the moment, not in the past or the…
Either there are wars in heaven, or else the world, too insolent toward the gods, provokes them to send destruction."…
The Bhagavad Gita uses the conversation between Pandava Prince Arjuna and his guide Lord Krishna to portray Hinduism world view and Krishna’s view on the different fundamental questions. When he’s facing a war, Arjuna is guided by Krishna to be a selfless leader, and dedication to the cause.…
Once he’s done mourning, Gilgamesh sets out on his own quest to find Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim was gifted immortality by the gods and it’s something Gilgamesh also wants. After very long journey he finds Utnapishtim. Unfortunately, Utnapishtim gives Gilgamesh news that he does not wish to hear. Gilgamesh learns that he can’t have immortality just because he wants it. Immortality from the gods is a gift and it’s something that they don’t hand out to…
An unstable compound of two parts gods and one part man, Gilgamesh suffers most from immoderation. Although he is indeed a mortal, the deity at the core of his nature seeks the gift of the gods: immortality. Knowing that at some point he must shake this mortal coil and move on the eternal deity that comprise 2/3s of him seek eternity. He is the greatest of all men, and both his virtues and his flaws are outsized. Gilgamesh is exemplary regarding physical stature with nobility beyond reproach, although the latter came after a tragic loss that led to a complete paradigm shift. He is the fiercest of warriors and the most ambitious of builders. These traits further bolster conjecture that he is looking to create a name for himself as warriors are prideful and competitive and for him to be the best would mean that he has bested, already, the warriors of his day and course, his being king cements the conjecture. The traits needed to Gilgamesh a candidate for “immortality” are the same that would drive great athletes of today. These traits are as follows: motivated, takes imitative, lacks excuses, full of determination, strong willed and willing to go that mile. Traits likes these are hallmarks of athletes that are worth remembering, and given the physical proewess necessary to be a great warrior, it is by no stretch of the imagination that Gilgamesh too, was an athlete and subject to the worries thereof. Immortality in his mind, was there for the taking and now was only the matter of achieving…
Lord Krishna lays down two important requirements for a person to understand the most secret knowledge about the God, namely the uncarping spirit, and the faith.…
The gods referred to war as a game, the unfortunate people were the game pieces and the world the game board. In the Trojan War. The gods started the devastating war by using one small person’s love of his captured betrothed to kill thousands of humans. The gods fought each other by empowering the people on earth so that they would win. Ultimately, the god would be able to boast of their victory. However, the God of Peace wants us to love our enemies and be kind to those who hate us. “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matthew 5:44. He hates merciless killing and death, and He wants to save us from death and destruction. He did so by sending His own son to die for the penalty of our…
Knowledge is power? Tell me, how much power is that? How much will be its impact in upholding the truth?…