Treating all with respect

The readings of the past few blogs on Hinduism have been from the Upanishads, which are in a way like the "Old Testament" of the Bible.

The next few readings are from the Bhagavad Gita, which means "Song of God." It is in a way like the New Testament of the Bible.

It is from a later time than the Upanishads. And it's main character is Krishna, just as the main person in the New Testament is Jesus Christ. Like Jesus, Krishna is believed to be God incarnate, and in most of the Bhagavad Gita, he is speaking from the viewpoint of God to his friend Arjuna, and to us all.

There is much more I could say by way of introducing the Bhagavad Gita, but you can find out a great deal for yourself by "googling" it. My purpose here is to provide you in the next several blogs with some passages from this book, which was a main inspiration for Gandhi, and I hope will inspire you as well. Certainly, the Song of God is dear to the hearts and inspires the devotion of millions of Hindus throughout the world. I think you will see why as you ponder these passages.

The first one I offer you is from chapter five of the Bhagavad Gita:

God is not the author of people's good or evil deeds.

People do what is evil when their inborn wisdom is blocked by ignorance.

But this block is removed by knowledge of the Soul, which dwells within every living being.

This knowledge shines like the sun, revealing God's Presence.

To the extent that you acquire this knowledge,

you become less and less capable of harming anyone or anything.

The Soul is equally present in priests and outcasts, elephants, cows, and dogs.

Knowing this, you are prompted to treat all living beings with equal respect.

You feel at ease in the company of all kinds of persons.

With your mind rooted in God, you see Divine perfection everywhere.

Good fortune does not inflate you.

Bad fortune does not deflate you.

Free from delusion, your mind is clear and calm.

You are dependent on no one and nothing.

Yet you are at one with everyone and everything.

Thus you experience profound inner peace, which nothing can shatter.

You have attained the supreme goal of human existence, which is union with God.

This is my prayer of response:

Creator God, though Your Presence dwells in all You create, I do not alwats remember or recognize this shining Truth.

I have been deeply conditioned by the view that only humans have souls, and that other creatures and beings, having no souls, can be used and even hurt and destroyed.

All around me I see disrespect between men and women, and between humans and animals, plants, and indeed all that exists on this beautiful planet.

Is it any wonder there is such struggle, such lack of peace?

Our only hope as humans is to be so rooted in You, so filled with the Light of Your Truth, that all our actions are guided by a deep and abiding respect for You and for all of Your the beings you have created.