Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Bhagavad-Gita'

This M.A. thesis presents a rhetorical analysis of the Indian philosophical and religious text, The Bhagavad Gita. Utilizing Kenneth Burke's Pentad of act, scene, agent, agency and purpose as a primary interpretive lens for uncovering universal human motivations, this rhetorical critique conceptualizes the idea of rhetorical agency as a model for action in the Gita's dialogical progression between Krishna and Arjuna. Rhetorical agency in the Gita differs from a traditional understanding of agency in that the former amalgamates competing yet co-existing pragmatic and consummatory agencies that Arjuna may utilize to act in the here and now but also relinquish the control on the fruits of his act, to ultimately transcend all human action by breaking the cycle of birth and death. In that sense, by virtue of rhetorical agency, the Gita may be considered in Burke's words Equipment for Living, because it provides a template for life across the universe.

This study examines the ancient Indian religious work, the Bhagavad Gita. This work of Hindu religious thought describes a mythic dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, in which the issue of Arjuna's fighting against his family is discussed. Topics ranging from caste-bound duty to the metaphysical structure of reality are covered in this relatively short text. Whereas previous inquiries have focused solely on the philosophical doctrine of this work, this investigation examines the use and form of narrative elements within this dialogue to determine how they contribute to its potential effectiveness and message construction. Previous research has indicated that story telling is an integral format for the transmittal of Indian transcendent knowledge. Using the critical theory of narrative as expounded in the modern rhetorical tradition, this narrative is examined in regard to its internal structure and the meanings it invites the audience to extract. After situating this study in the stream of modern scholarship, a detailed explication of the narrative method of rhetorical criticism is offered, along with its subsequent application to the artifact in question. Various research questions are discussed in light of this application, with results being analyzed. Through narrative, this religious work is found to construct issues of "self," "others," "duty," and "reality" in interesting and unique ways. This study advances an understanding of multivalent narratives, such as the Bhagavad Gita, that use ambiguity in the text to open the audience to possibilities not experienced under their value system. This inquiry observes four main elements that must be present in order for a text to inspire possible value system change and novelty in audience members: these texts must contain differing value structures and hierarchies, they must not immediately or conclusively resolve the tensions between these value structures, the value structures implied in the text can admit to differing actions in relation to audience perception, and the various value structures within the narrative must not be so determinant that they cannot be reconciled. Through these means, narratives such as the Bhagavad Gita can expose temporally and spatially distant audiences to novel value hierarchies.

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Estudos da Tradução
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O objetivo geral dessa dissertação é analisar as notas de tradução presentes em edições brasileiras do texto sânscrito Bhagavad-G#t#, utilizando-se um corpus computadorizado composto por 1.005 notas de tradução. O quadro epistemológico é formado pela noção de tradução como uma atividade translatória, conforme Nord (2001), e pela abordagem descritiva nos estudos da tradução, trabalhada por Toury (1995) e Chesterman (1997). Também foram adotados conceitos teóricos de normas, memes, problemas de tradução, paratextos (principalmente de Genette, 1997) e notas de tradução. A metodologia da pesquisa detalha a escolha e a organização do corpus e o desenvolvimento da taxionomia das notas de tradução utilizada. Através desta taxionomia, analisa-se o conteúdo das notas de tradução em cada tradução em separado, em comparação com a média do corpus e em conjunto com outros paratextos da mesma obra. São feitas análises gerais das notas de tradução do corpus como um todo, incluindo distribuições do conteúdo entre as traduções e os capítulos, bem como análises das notas dos versos mais anotados, com discussões sobre probabilidade estatística destas ocorrências. Os principais resultados indicam memes e problemas de tradução. The main focus of this work is the description of the translation notes found in the Brazilian editions of the sanskrit text Bhagavad-Gita, using a computerized corpus composed of 1.005 notes. The epistemological framework is composed of the idea of translational activity, as presented by Nord (2001), and of the Descriptive Translation Studies approach as presented by Toury (1995) and Chesterman (1997). Concepts of norms, memes, translation problems, paratexts (mainly from Genette, 1997) and translation notes are also used. The methodology of the research details the corpus selection and structure, and the development of the taxonomy used. These taxonomy are used to analyze the subject of the note in each edition separately, including comparison to the corpus average and with the set of other paratexts into the same edition. A general analysis of the corpus as a whole is also presented, including the variation of the content on the different editions and chapters where they occur, as well as analysis of the notes on the most annotated verses, including discussion on the statistical probability of these occurrences. The main results show memes of translation and translation problems.

Parabrahman Puruṣottama Bhagavān Svāminārāyaṇa offered novel contributions to the Vedānta philosophical tradition by presenting the principles of the Akṣarapuruṣottama Siddhānta (doctrine) and establishing the Akṣarapuruṣottama Darśana, an independent Vedāntic school of thought. In addition to revealing the darśana’s (school of thought) princi-ples, he also presented distinct readings of sacred texts. Among these readings, in “Va-canāmṛta Gaḍhaḍā Madhya 9” he put forth a unique interpretation of ‘dharma’ as it appears in verse 2.40 of the Śrīmadbhagavadgītā. Based on this reading and the Svāminārāyaṇabhāṣyam’s corresponding exposition, this work offers an analysis of Bhagavān Svāminārāyaṇa’s interpre-tation of ‘dharma’ as it appears in the Gītā. Unlike the classical commentators, Bhagavān Svāminārāyaṇa interprets ‘dharma’ as conviction in the present form of God (pratyakṣaparamātmasvarūpaniṣṭhā). This interpretation is signifi-cant in terms of its distinct content, its associated philosophical and theological commitments, and the hermeneutical and exegetical insights it offers. By elucidating Svāminārāyaṇa’s inter-pretation and the Svāminārāyaṇabhāṣyam’s corresponding exposition, this work presents (1) an unoffered discussion of Svāminārāyaṇa’s understanding of the nature and content of con-viction in the present form of God, (2) Svāminārāyaṇa’s relevant philosophical, theological, and hermeneutical principles, (3) an alternative reading of the Gita in light of Svāminārāyaṇa’s interpretation, and (4) cross-disciplinary darśanic insights that are characteristic of Svāminārāyaṇa’s interpretive move.

This study examines the ancient Indian religious work, the Bhagavad Gita. This work of Hindu religious thought describes a mythic dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna, in which the issue of Arjuna's fighting against his family is discussed. Topics ranging from caste-bound duty to the metaphysical structure of reality are covered in this relatively short text. Whereas previous inquiries have focused solely on the philosophical doctrine of this work, this investigation examines the use and form of narrative elements within this dialogue to determine how they contribute to its potential effectiveness and message construction. Previous research has indicated that story telling is an integral format for the transmittal of Indian transcendent knowledge. Using the critical theory of narrative as expounded in the modern rhetorical tradition, this narrative is examined in regard to its internal structure and the meanings it invites the audience to extract. After situating this study in the stream of modern scholarship, a detailed explication of the narrative method of rhetorical criticism is offered, along with its subsequent application to the artifact in question. Various research questions are discussed in light of this application, with results being analyzed. Through narrative, this religious work is found to construct issues of "self," "others," "duty," and "reality" in interesting and unique ways. This study advances an understanding of multivalent narratives, such as the Bhagavad Gita, that use ambiguity in the text to open the audience to possibilities not experienced under their value system. This inquiry observes four main elements that must be present in order for a text to inspire possible value system change and novelty in audience members: these texts must contain differing value structures and hierarchies, they must not immediately or conclusively resolve the tensions between these value structures, the value structures implied in the text can admit to differing actions in relation to audience perception, and the various value structures within the narrative must not be so determinant that they cannot be reconciled. Through these means, narratives such as the Bhagavad Gita can expose temporally and spatially distant audiences to novel value hierarchies.

In The Theology of Râmânuja, John Braisted Carman carefully examines the south Asian philosopher Râmânuja’s concepts of the Supreme Person, and the relational dynamics between the Supreme Person and the devotee. Carman sees in Râmânuja’s discussion of the master (úesî)/servant (úesa) relationship the most important understandings concerning the hierarchy between the Supreme Person and the devotee. Carmen argues that in this devotional relationship there is a point at which the distinction between the master and the servant is dissolved, and mutual dependence is revealed. This paper focuses on the point where the roles in the relationship between the divine and the devotee are reversed. In this reversal the master takes on the role of the servant and the servant the master. It is argued here that this role reversal is the action that illuminates the ultimate dissolution of the hierarchy that Râmânuja recognizes and results in spiritual empowerment for the devotee.

There is considerable agreement that the publication of Edward W. Said's Orientalism in 1978 inaugurated the field known as "postcolonial studies." Building upon the work of Said and other historians and translation theorists, who have written on the social and cultural implications of European colonialism, this doctoral thesis attempts to place the English, Catalan and Spanish writings of the Mallorcan Orientalist and translator Juan Mascaro (1897-1987) - in particular- his translation of the Bhagavad Gita for the Penguin Classics series - in their proper context and thus provide a more comprehensive understanding of the Oriental- ist/Eurocentric premises underlying his work. Though best known for his translations from the Sanskrit and Pali, Mascaro was also a prolific letter-writer whose letters, manuscripts, diaries and notebooks are preserved in three different archives. The principal motivation for pm-suing this PhD project lies in the realization that Mascaro has never received any critical attention in England and that an assessment of his work can contribute to broaden the terms of the debate over the question of Orientalism and Western appropriations of non-European cultures. The thesis is divided into five chapters, preceded by a general introduction and followed by a short conclusion. The first chapter examines the period Mascaro spend as vice-principal of a Hindu college in the British colony of Ceylon; the second studies Mascaro's Orientalist conceptions of Indian culture; the third gives an overview of Western and Indian inteipretations of the Bhagavad Gita and analyses Mascaro's reading of the text within this larger hermeneutical enterprise; the fourth presents a theoretical and practical study of Mascaro's translation of the Gita; the fifth and last chapter covers several subjects, but is mainly concerned with Mascaro's religious viewpoint and his involvement in the inter-faith dialogue. Although the association of Orientalism with Western colonial aspirations does not seem evident in the case of a Catalan-speaking Orientalist, Mascaro's writings attest to the universalist tendencies of Orientalism and are pail of this hegemonic European movement.

This essay explores ISKCON’s religious text A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, as an American scripture. This commentary expressed a philosophy which attracted ISKCON’s American converts and gave voice to the protest they had against the larger American culture. Using Thomas Tweed’s theory of dissent, I show how the Bhagavad Gita As It Is gave the American converts of the 1960s and 1970s a language of dissent in the larger American conversation and allowed them to create an alternative American identity. In this way, the Bhagavad Gita is an American text.

For decades, Edward W. Said's Orientalism has been at the forefront of the study of East-West cultural encounter. Said draws mostly on novels, travel accounts, anthropological documents and similar writings to explore the discursive consolidation of texts that acquire power to represent the Orient. Translation, which is the primal site of exchange between Western Orientalists and the East, is rather treated as a given concept, and no substantial theoretical consideration is developed in Said's work to explain the critical role of translation in Orientalism. A number of studies on translation and its relations to Orientalism have tackled the issue from different angles, mostly showing a degree of skepticism towards the political overtone of postcolonial discourse; for example, Figueira (1991) and Cannon (1990). The political and ideological implication of Orientalism in the practice of translation tends to be interpreted in terms of Lawrence Venuti's polarising paradigm of `domestication' in which the original's features are `distorted' due to the translator's appropriation of the original, or `foreignisation' in which translator makes the text appear alien and remote. The absence of critical studies of the concept of Orientalism in translation, or for that matter of the relationship between Edward Said's notion of Orientalism and translation, means there is a lack of clarity regarding Orientalist translation. Furthermore, while postcolonial translation theory may provide a useful paradigm for reading power relations in the translations between hegemonic and subordinate cultures, it has largely overlooked an important issue raised by Said in Orientalism, namely the notion of the institutionalisation of knowledge, a significant factor to why the discursive representation of the Orient acquires power through institutionally certified knowledge. The present thesis proposes a new concept called `Virtuality' to explain the phenomenon of Orientalist translation in the late eighteenth to nineteenth century. `Virtuality' is a concept that entails the notion of potentiality, or virtual reality, virtue and power. Drawing on the notion of `sufficiency', it throws light on translation in Orientalism as a process that seeks to produce a version that has sufficient virtue to represent, or even replace, the original. Virtuality means there is no need for direct contact with the East, as the mediation by Orientalists proves them to be adequate proxies. In this thesis, virtuality is applied to the study of English and French translations of two well-known Sanskrit literary works - the Bhagavad-Gitä and Sakuntalä - from 1784 to 1884. The methodological tools deployed in this thesis to highlight the virtuality of translation in Orientalism are taken from Pierre Bourdieu's sociological concepts namely symbolic capital, symbolic power, distinction and misrecognition (meconnaissance), M. A. K. Halliday's Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG), Gerard Genette's paratextuality and Allan Bell's audience design. This set of methodological tools taken from sociology, linguistics, intertextuality and sociolinguistics, provides a new reading of Orientalist translation which emphasises the process whereby Orientalists struggle for legitimacy in representing the Orient in their translations.

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Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
From the existential conflict between I vs False ego, as enunciated by ancient mythology, this work investigates the interpretation s possibility of this duality nowadays. This way it is examined on these two temporal contexts the conflict between the man element, or even his soul, often designed as I, and his false ego, or false perception of himself. It starts with the analysis of an antiquity s literary source whose narrative explicitly shows this topic, the Bhagavad-Gita, and sequentially it is taken as object a mediatic verbal-visual-spatial text of the present time, the graphic novel Ramayan 3392 AD. By exploring this question on the first text it is aimed to identify it in the graphic novel, therefore examining the theme s continuity, which according to this point of view is originated in antiquity and kept in nowadays media. Thus it is looked forward to prove this interpretation s possibility in mediatic texts, to prove how this opposition can be considered a connection between different mythologies; and to analyze how the duality is structured at the present times, through comic books research. As important points are considered the changes that occur in the value of sacred, whose investment is existent in the ancient mythology connected to religiosity, but not in comic books generality, not explicitly at least. As theoretical basis to this problematic s analysis on the study corpus, it is used the referential of Greimas discursive semiotics and its development on Landowski s socio-semiotics, while for observations regarding mythologies, beyond these semioticists works and others , it is mainly taken this question s approach by Cassirer. It can be pointed that there is dissolution of the value of sacred, represented in ancient mythology by emphasis and detailing of the mystical and religious theme, while the subject hero s characterization by a duty is kept, in a way that the mystical religious value becomes an ethical value in the nowadays text, being kept in both texts the modalization by should as invariable. Furthermore, mediatic texts bring a differentiated appeal to sensible experience, through plastic components, which alongside with the verbal plane add another meaning s dimension to the narrative; a meaning that is also considered from the ancient text s prescription concerning the existential conflict examined, leading to the formation of a chromatic schematization connected to this opposition. As conclusions it is obtained a possible interpretation of the euphoric subjects as attached to cognitive instances, and of the dysphoric subject as associated to the somatic actancial instance precisely, in an assemblage constitutive of a single macro-subject. From myth to media rises the main change which is the passage from the direct holy s revelation to the detachment of aesthesic sensibility as key piece on the subject s formation. This mechanism allows the sensibility s perception as responsible for making feel the new proposition of the existential conflict that is undeniably of all times
A partir do conflito existencial definido como Eu vs Falso ego, conforme enunciado pela mitologia da antiguidade, este trabalho investiga a possibilidade de interpretação desta dualidade em textos midiáticos da atualidade. Desta forma, examina-se nestes dois contextos temporais o confronto entre o elemento homem, ou mesmo sua alma, frequentemente denominado Eu, e seu falso ego, ou falsa percepção de si mesmo. Parte-se da análise de uma fonte literária da antiguidade cuja narrativa apresenta explicitamente este tópico, o Bhagavad-Gita, e em seguida toma-se como objeto um texto midiático verbi-visual-espacial atual, a história em quadrinhos Ramayan 3392 AD. Explorando esta questão na primeira obra, busca-se identificá-la na história em quadrinhos, abordando assim a continuidade do tema, que de acordo com este ponto de vista surge na antiguidade e se mantém nas mitologias e mídias atuais. Procura-se então provar a possibilidade dessa interpretação nos textos midiáticos, provar como esta oposição pode ser considerada uma conexão entre as diferentes mitologias; e analisar como a dualidade é estruturada na atualidade, por meio da pesquisa sobre histórias em quadrinhos. Como ponto importante são consideradas as alterações que ocorrem no valor sacralizador, cujo investimento é presente na mitologia antiga ligada à religiosidade, mas não nas histórias em quadrinhos em sua generalidade, ao menos não de forma explícita. Como base teórica para as análises dessa problemática nos objetos do corpus de estudo é utilizado o referencial da semiótica discursiva de Greimas e o seu desenvolvimento na sociossemiótica de Landowski, enquanto para observações referentes a mitologias, além dos estudos desses e de outros semioticistas, é tomada a abordagem desta questão por Cassirer, principalmente. Pode-se apontar que há a dissolução do valor sagrado, representado na mitologia antiga pelo enfoque e detalhamento do tema místico e religioso, enquanto é mantida a caracterização do sujeito herói por um dever, de forma que o dever místico religioso passa a ser um dever ético no texto atual, sendo em ambos os textos a modalização por dever mantida como invariável. Além disso, os textos midiáticos trazem um apelo diferenciado à experiência sensível, por meio dos componentes plásticos, que junto ao plano verbal conferem outra dimensão de significação à narrativa; significação esta que é considerada também a partir da prescrição do texto antigo em relação ao conflito existencial abordado, levando à formação de uma esquematização cromática ligada a essa oposição. Como conclusões obtém-se uma interpretação possível dos sujeitos eufóricos como ligados às instâncias cognitivas, e do sujeito disfórico como associado à instância actancial somática propriamente, em um conjunto constituidor de um macrossujeito único. A principal alteração que emerge do mito na mídia é a passagem da revelação direta do sagrado ao destacamento da sensibilidade estésica como peça chave na constituição do sujeito. Esse mecanismo possibilita a percepção da sensibilidade como responsável por fazer sentir a nova proposição do confronto existencial que é incontestavelmente de todos os tempos

Vårt syfte med denna uppsats var att studera varför människor väljer att ansluta sig till två olika nya religiösa rörelser, Hare Krishna-rörelsen respektive Scientologikyrkan. Dessa två rörelser skiljer sig åt på flera olika sätt. Det mest tydliga är att Hare Krishna-rörelsen har en gudsbild (monistisk) till skillnad från Scientologikyrkan som istället tror på ett högre väsen, en personlig gud.

Vår utgångspunkt är antagandet att den nya tidens samhälle har skapat en större strävan efter individualitet och att samhällets medborgare söker efter tydlighet och enkelhet både vad gäller ledarskap och tro. Vi antar dessutom att samhällets sekularisering och den förändring som skett med tanke på skolans undervisning inom ämnet religion leder till en större nyfikenhet och till ett större intresse för nya religiösa rörelser.

Uppsatsen grundar sig på åtta djupintervjuer, med fyra medlemmar från Hare Krishna-rörelsen och fyra från Scientologikyrkan. Vi har även använt oss av litteraturstudier för att skapa en grund för vår undersökning. Resultatet visar att behovsuppfyllande var en återkommande orsak till anslutning och vidare att intervjuobjektens behov var skiftande.

The Sarartha-varsini is an orthodox Guariya vaisnava commentary on the Bhagavad-gita. This research project aimed to use the text of the Sarartha-varsini as the starting point for an investigation into the Gauriya sect around the time of its composition. The project began by establishing a scholarly edition of the text with the aid of extant manuscripts and available printed editions. A critical edition and translation of the first three chapters are presented in the appendix. As the project progressed, interesting archival material surfaced, and the relationship of the sect with the state of Amber/Jaipur became the focus. The role of Gauriya religious dignitaries in religious debate in Jaipur was investigated, and the issue of sectarian affiliation emerged as an issue for which the text if the Sarartha-varsini was particularly illuminating. Joseph O’Connell and Klaus Klostermaier had done fine academic research on works by the same author and had even touched on this work. Nevertheless, a large amount of groundwork remained to be done to ascertain basic issues such as names, dates, claims of authorship, and other biographical details. Section One and Two of this dissertation review previous scholarship and tradition on these issues and provide new insights from textual analysis and archival investigation. With regard to the politico-religious milieu in Rajasthan, V.S. Bhatnagar, Monika Horstman and Irfan Habib had already performed significant archival research and published extremely useful findings. My study therefore greatly assisted in this area, and this dissertation was able to build on the very solid foundation established by these fine scholars. This study contains reference to many archival documents already published by them, and it introduces a good deal of previously unpublished archival records. Of particular interest are the new records regarding the influence of Visvanatha Cakravarti, Krnadeva Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, and Baladeva Vidyabhusana. Section Three combines old and new material to create for the first time a ‘historical’ snapshot of these Gauriya dignitaries and the politico-religious issues of their times. The analysis of the sectarian influences on the text of the Sarartha-varsini (Section 4) brings together the historical issues of the era and the edited text. This section provides clear empirical analysis on the sectarian affiliation of the sect in matters of doctrine. The textual evidence clearly indicates that the Gauriya-Madhva affiliation was merely an ‘official’ stance. Evidence from the text points to a much stronger doctrinal allegiance to Sridhara Swami and the Bhagavata-purana. The Bhagavad-gita commentary has provided an invaluable common platform from which to compare the Gauriya sect with other established sects and important commentators.

This dissertation is a missiological evaluation of the challenges presented to Christian faith by reincarnation. Owing to the far-reaching theological implications of reincarnation, I have made use of an analytical grid to structure the research. It consists of seven sections, namely God, anthropology, ethics, hamartiology, soteriology, theodicy and history. This grid has been used to examine reincarnation as espoused in the Bhagavad-Gita (chapter 2) , as propounded by the well-known Hindu Swamis Vivekananda and Prabhupada (chapter 3) , and in the responses of four Christian theologians (Geddes MacGregor, John Hick, Vishal Mangalwadi and Edmond Robillard) to reincarnation (chapter 4) . There are many individuals within Western society who are attracted to reincarnation. My concern is to evaluate whether the Christian church can incorporate reincarnation in its religious worldview. In chapter 5, I give an evaluation of this question from a Reformed theological perspective.
Hierdie verhandeling is 'n missiologiese beoordeling van die uitdagings wat die leerstelling van reinkarnasie aan die Christelike geloof hied. As gevolg van die verreikende implikasies van reinkarnasie, gebruik ek 'n analitiese raamwerk om vorm te gee aan die· ondersoek. Hierdie raamwerk bestaan uit sewe onderafdelings, naamlik die beskouings oor God, mens, etiek, sonde, verlossing, teodisee en geskiedenis. Hierdie raamwerk word gebruik om die leerstelling van n!inkarnasie te ondersoek soos wat dit aan die orde kom in die Bhagavad-Gita (hoofstuk 2), in die geskrifte van die twee bekende Swamis Vivekananda en Prabhupada (hoofstuk 3) , en in die reaksies van vier Christenteoloe (Geddes MacGregor, John Hick, Vishal Mangalwadi en Edmond Robillard) op reinkarnasie (hoofstuk 4). Daar is heelwat mense in die Westerse samelewing wat aangetrokke is tot reinkarnasie. My vraagstelling is om te evalueer of die Christelike kerk re'inkarnasie in sy godsdienstige wereldbeeld kan opneem. In hoqfstuk 5, gee ek 'n beoordeling van hierdie vraag uit 'n Gereformeerde teologiese gesigspunt.
Christian,Spirituality, Church History and Missiology
M.Th. (Missiology)