Theologies Expressed in the Bhagavad Gita and Dante\'s Inferno

¶ … Bhagavad-Gita and Dante's Inferno

This is a comparison between the Bhagavad-Gita and Dante's Inferno on the concept of heaven, hell and God. It has 2 sources.

Most religions and religious concepts that are well-known are ones that have concepts of a 'heaven,' a God. The 'Bhagavad-Gita' is an example of a book that presents a religious concept that consists of a belief in God (Krishna), heaven and demons, and it is one that is associated with Hindu beliefs. Through its teachings, it is said to encompass all human beings no matter what their religious beliefs are. In contrast and similarity to this is 'Dante's Inferno', a book that is not a book that teaches but rather presents a moral within an event that is not concerned with a specific religion but rather human beliefs as a whole, including the concept of heaven, hell and God as major components in it.

Dante's Inferno can be more accurately described as a story about a man who finds his way to God with the help of another man, but only after passing through hell. Dante had apparently taken the wrong road in search of God, and so, 'Virgil' has to lead him right through to God so that he does finally sees the truth of human knowledge and fallacies.

The Bhagavad-Gita describes the path to God; yet the difference in this description of a path to God is that it is not as frightening as the one that Dante takes. Dante's path through hell is one of "eternal shades in heat and frost" (Dantes, Canto III). This eternal place is one that is maintained by one who was "fair once, as he now is foul, And lifted up his brow against his Maker" (Dante's Inferno, Canto XXXIV).

Through Dante's path, though frightening, one is presented with an opportunity to learn about the various sins that lead to eternal suffering. Dante's path can be viewed as a warning to all those who indulge in particular sins, such as the ones that have been described in the different circles he witnesses along with Virgil. The following are the Nine Circles of Sin:

Circle One - Those in limbo

Circle Two - The lustful

Circle Three - The gluttonous

Circle Four - The hoarders

Circle Five - The wrathful

Circle Six - The heretics

Circle Seven - The violent

Circle Eight - The Fraudulent

Circle Nine - Traitors (Dante's Inferno)

The sinners in the nine circles of hell are guilty of one of three types of sin:

Incontinence: Evil action arises from losing control of natural appetites and desires

Brutishness: Evil action arises from attraction to things which repulse the healthy soul

Malice / Vice: Evil action arises from abuse of reason, a human's most god-like quality (Dante's Inferno)

The Circles of Sin listed above along with the three main categories of sin would in most cases lead to individuals being aware of their actions and therefore avoiding these sins and winding up in the fires of hell. In contrast to making individuals aware of their sinful deeds through this fear, the Bhagavad-Gita is a concept that provides one with a path to reaching God without fearing any repercussions if one chooses not to avoid sin. In accordance with the Bhagavad-Gita, "The self embodied in the body of every being is indestructible"... (Miller, 1986) and so, if one chooses his or her path, s/he will go down it, either enjoying it or suffering in it forever. An individual therefore is responsible for the fate s/he chooses. Also, since "The whole universe is pervaded by my unmanifest form; all creatures exist in me, but I do not exist in them." This means that individuals can become similar to god, but he cannot become similar to them. From this, emerges the concept of "demi-gods" (Miller, 1986). These are actually individuals who follow the scriptural injunctions faithfully, as opposed to asura or demons who do not follow the principles laid down in the scriptures (Miller, 1986).

Though according to the above quotations from the Bhagavad-Gita, it can be seen that there is similarity between Dante's Inferno as far as the text refers to 'demons', but there is also a difference observed in the way that religiously devout people are viewed. In Dante's Inferno, it is written that "Charon the demon, with the eyes of glede," will 'beckon' to those who do not believe in god (Dante's Inferno. Canto III).