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Identity In The Bhagavad Gita

812 Words4 Pages

For my final project, I will write a poem that exhibits characteristic of the three novels The Bhagavad-Gita by , The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B DuBois , and An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies by Bartolome de Las Casas. All three novels share a common theme that associates with the quest in choosing identity, containing metaphors for the journey of the soul from an individual's time, place and attachments to an intangible perspective. During this time in particular, human existence and the factors of love, and faith are questioned. They are questioned so much so that people now long to return to the time when love and compassion for other existed. We see this in present day, communities all over the world trying …show more content…

He wants to honor his born duty of being a warrior but at the same time realizes that the tasks that are asked of him contradict his newfound moral values, in turn he refuses to wage this war against his kin. Arjuna asks the Lord, Krishna for advice saying to him, "I see omens of chaos, Krishna/ I see no good in killing my kinsmen in battle. Krishna, I see no victory, or kingship or pleasures” (Gita 1:30). Krishna responds, telling Arjuna that he should fight and wants him to realize the consequences of not doing so. Arjuna can bring about dishonor to his family and also go against his duty as the king. If he abandons his duty then he will show a lack of leadership and loyalty to his people, resulting in the most undesirable qualities for a king: weak and vulnerable. In the end, Arjuna had no legitimate justifications for ceasing this position, so he continued to …show more content…

Du Bois is an essential read as it demonstrates a concept the “veil” of race, the double-consciousness, and the aspects of life dominated by the concept of racism and culture in America. In particular, Du Bois presents the idea of double consciences, which is described as two-ness in a person. “One ever feels his two-ness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder” (DuBois 38). Du Bois refers to this as the ability to see oneself through another’s eyes, having the ability to have more than one perspective of how people see us versus how we see ourselves. In that same token, we struggle to identify who we are because we see who we are for our true selves but are being told

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In the beginning of The Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna’s worldview is that nothing is bigger than family to him; he strongly believes that destroying your own family is a sin. This directs his decision making and actions by, setting down his bows and arrows in the middle of the battle field. Being a warrior, Arjuna looks at his opponents, and sees his kinsmen, and is no longer ready for war. Arjuna tells Krishna, “I lament the great sin/ we commit when our greed/ for kingship and pleasures/ drives us to kill our kinsmen.” (1.45).

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Du Bois described them as hopeless, voiceless, humiliated, disrespected, and ridicule and how society was too focused on politics and wealth. “Would America go poor if white people acknowledge black folk are human beings like any other?”

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