What is the Gita’s eschatology?
From Peter
I am a comparative philosophy student trying to understand the Bhagavad-gita. Can you please give specific Gita verses while answering the question?
Transcript
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is perfectly fine. Thank you. Hare Krishna.
Question from Peter. I am a student of comparative philosophy and I am studying the Bhagavad Gita currently. I want to know the view of the Bhagavad Gita on eschatology.
Please explain with specific verses. Answer. Eschatology refers to the final destinations, judgment and the ultimate end of existence in terms of the soul or man or whatever.
So, as far as the Bhagavad Gita is concerned, it describes that we have all come from God. Ultimately, we are meant to go back to God and every one of us will return back to God. So, the ultimate end, there is judgment.
The Bhagavad Gita talks about Naraka in the first chapter. It also talks about Naraka, especially in the 16th chapter. It talks about it in 16.20, 21, 22, that section, 21, 22 verses, it talks about hell and it talks about how selfish passions like lust, anger, greed, they will take us to hell.
But at the same time, the Bhagavad Gita also says that these passions are curable. And Krishna also says that actually whatever situation a person may be in, that person can be redeemed. So, there are many verses which talk about this theme, where he talks about, for example, in 9.32 that even low-born people can be redeemed.
And he also says that all living beings are his children in 14.4. So, Krishna accepts that all souls are his children. He is the seed-giving father. And ultimately, anybody can, by taking shelter of him, return back to him.
And so, there is an understanding that there is a material world and beyond that, there is a spiritual world. So, as long as the soul is connected from Krishna, because of selfish desires, soul will wander in the material world. Krishna talks about this in 14.18, 19.
And he says those who live in goodness will go up, those who live in ignorance will go down. Those who live in passion will stay in the same realm of existence. So, as compared to other religions, where hell is often considered eternal, and heaven is often conflated, mixed up with the kingdom of God, the Bhagavad Gita’s understanding is different.
A brahma-bhuvana-loka, the Bhagavad Gita talks about swarga in several places. For example, it talks about the heavenly abode of Brahma in 8.16. Then it also talks about heaven in 2.42-43, kama-atmana-swarga-para. But it explains that the swarga is also temporary.
One will come back from even heaven, 9.20-21, Krishna talks about it. Going to heaven and coming back from heaven. So, the ultimate goal of the soul is not to go back to heaven, heaven is the abode of the gods.
And beyond this abode of the gods is the abode of the Supreme Lord, who is in the spiritual world, parastasmat bhavanyu, Krishna says in 8.20. So, it is there that the soul is ultimately meant to go. And to the extent the soul develops pure love for God, that soul will go back to God. And everyone has the potential for developing that love because everybody is intimately connected with Krishna as his part, as he says in 15.7, mamai vamsho jiva loki.
So, the ultimate goal is to return back to God. And is there judgment? Yes, but there’s no final judgment day. There is judgment that happens for our karma.
And accordingly, we get the destination, which is all temporary and transitional. This is our present position is temporary and transitional. Similarly, based on our karma, we will get various positions, either in the upper or the lower areas of the universe.
But ultimately, the soul is meant to return back to God, to Krishna for eternal life of pure love with him. Thank you. Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna.