Introduction
Jesus and the Bible talk about a Supreme Being, God, who created everything in the universe, including Jesus Himself. Throughout the Bible and Jesus’ teachings, emphasis is laid on the supreme nature of God and His attributes, which are beyond human understanding. On the other hand, the Bhagavad Gita talks about a Supreme Consciousness called Brahman. There is a similarity and several differences between the message passed by the Bhagavad Gita and the Bible, but clearly they are not talking about the same God.
Similarities
The Bible demands that Christians only worship one God ( Deuteronomy 6:13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name, n.d.). Similarly, the Bhagavad Gita implicitly requires Hindus to serve only one Supreme force.
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In Deuteronomy 6: 13, it is written: “Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.” Similarly, the Bhagavad Gita states that “ Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires worship demigods” that is “Those who are materialistic, they worship demigods ” which implies that the demigods are not the True God (Mukundananda, n.d.).
3. Differences
The Bible and Jesus teachings’ require Christians to worship God while the Bhagavad Gita does not require Hindus to worship God.
Christians believe in the existence of one God, and worship only Him. On the contrary, Brahman is just a formless and impersonal consciousness that is present throughout the entire universe.
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that Brahman is the true source of everything that exists in the universe, but that he neither takes care of it nor exists in it. On the other hand, the Bible asserts that God has an active role in maintaining His creations.
The Bible teaches Christians that God has three aspects/deities with Jesus being one of the three. However, the three deities are still seen as one and the same thing. On the contrary, the Bhagavad Gita provides for so many deities that are responsible for different roles in the lives of believers.
Destruction of the universe
The Bible teaches that one day God will descend to earth and judge people according to their deeds in this life. He will then destroy the earth once, along with the sinners in it but reward the righteous people with everlasting life. However, on the contrary, the Bhagavad Gita teaches that the process of creation and destruction is a natural and normal one. Hindus believe that Shiva , a manifestation of Brahman is responsible for the process of destruction; a process viewed as a natural order.
4. Conclusion
The Bible, Jesus’ teachings and the Bhagavad Gita all point to the existence of an element of a Supreme force. However, the God that is described in the Bible is not the same one as that described in the Bhagavad Gita- Brahman. On the one hand, God is a Supreme Being who created and controls the universe while on the other hand, Brahman is a not a being but a consciousness that does not participate in the active role of running the universe.
Reference List
Deuteronomy 6:13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. . (2016). Biblehub.com . Retrieved 12 December 2016, from http://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/6-13.htm
Mukundananda, S. (n.d.). Chapter 7, Verse 20 – Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God – Swami Mukundananda. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/7/verse/20
Prabhavananda, Swami, and Christopher Isherwood. "trans. The Song of God: Bhagavad-Gita." (1954).
The Song of God: Bhagavad-Gita . New American Library, 1944.
