Fundamental questions and inquiry approaches

Sappho's Poetry

In "Throned in splendor, deathless, O Aphrodite," what is the speaker asking the Goddess of love to do?

The poem "Throned in splendor, deathless, O Aphrodite," is a prayer to the Greek Goddess of love, Aphrodite. The poem's author, the female poet Sappho from the island of Lesbos, is calling upon the ancient Goddess to help ease her spurned heart. Sappho wants Aphrodite to come down to Earth and comfort her by telling Sappho that her lover will return her love, even if that person must do so unwillingly. She tells the Goddess that her yearning heart will cease to heart her any longer when her love, who she addresses as "she," whether or not that love is earnest or forced. Sappho then quotes Aphrodite as promising her lover's affection.

What might the narrator of "Like the very gods in my sight is he" mean by the final statement that "death has come near me"?

The beginning of the poem, "Like the very gods in my sight is he," Sappho describes a woman who is madly in love with a man. She shows her jealousy of this man and his intimate relationship with the woman in question, "Like the very gods in my sight is he who sits where he can look in your eyes, who listens close to you, to hear the soft voice, its sweetness murmur in love and laughter, all for him." Sappho has tremendous desire, but no way to express it to the one she loves. This becomes a near-death experience, for she barely survives the pain caused by such unrequited passion. The last line, "death has come near me," shows how she barely made it through the traumatic experience in one piece.

Does it surprise you that a woman might be writing about sex around 600 B.C.

Why or why not?

A really do not find the fact that a woman would be writing about sex as early as 600 B.C. I think that sexual relationships in 600 B.C. most likely had less confinements and much less obsessive definitions as they do today. Greek, and later Roman culture was much more open and free in their sexuality. Today, there are much more restrictions for the norm. Hundreds of years of Protestant and Catholic influence have created more complications to sexual relationships which separate us from the Ancient Greeks.

The Bhagavad-Gita

What is Arjuna's dilemma at the beginning of the Bhagavad-Gita? Why is he tormented by grief?

In the Hindu classic, the Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna faces a terrible dilemma. Arjuna, a great warrior is off to battle. However, after arriving, he finds that he has relatives on opposing the Kurus. He cannot imagine killing his family and friends. Disloyalty haunts him from both directions. He would deceive his family and friends by fighting against them, but he would also deceive the Kurus by refusing to fight for their cause. He is wracked with grief over the fact that the Kuru army would even think of engaging in a war with their kinsmen.

2. What is the "embodied self"?

The "embodied self" is the self which has transcended the three characteristics of flawed mortal man. This person has risen above the flawed nature of the average person and has found balance within themselves and the universe. They practice self-discipline and humility. They have found the true self, the "embodied self," which is connected t the entire universe. These souls therefore achieve the prime goal of existence, finding the true nature of the self.

3. What might it mean to focus on the action and not the "fruits of action"?

The "fruits of action," or the plans and ideas for future actions can be useful in actual implementation. However, by focusing on the idea behind action too much can take away from the importance of the action itself. One who focuses on planning too much can also get so caught up in planning, that action is delayed and eventually forgotten. By focusing on action, one can rightfully judge the worth of the person who has performed that action, rather than the person who consistently speaks about action.

4. Describe the yogi, the "man of discipline."