An Analysis of the Central Themes of the Bhagavad Gita and...

An Analysis of the Central Themes of The Bhagavad Gita and its Influence on Significant Historical Figures and Literature. Gavin McClung â€Å"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.† -Eleanor Roosevelt The Bhagavad Gita has been estimated to have been in existence since about 500 BCE although the oldest known handwritten copy is in a museum in London and is dated to 1488. It predates the Bible, the Quran, and 50 Shades of Grey. As one of the oldest pieces of literature known to us it has gained a reputation as†¦show more content†¦Yoga translates literally to â€Å"skill in action†. This means that it’s not good enough to just have knowledge; you have to use it and act on it. This is a pretty simple idea and something that holds true to everyone on a very basic and understandable level. When coupled with the idea of Renunciation this theme of â€Å"Yoga and Renunciation† simply means to understand that material goods and things are just that; material. They won’t last forever so its pointless to place any value in them because whether we’re busy placing value in and buying the newest gadget to come out or even in something as simple as a watch or a car, we’re only gathering stuff that’s going to make our lives complicated and put a lot of stress on us. The less you have, then the less you have to worry about. The Yoga part of â€Å"Yoga and Renunciation† means that it’s not enough o know and agree with this concept of living free from the material, you have to actually do it if you want to live a strew free life full of inner peace. Many of the world’s most influential thinkers knew this and routinely put it into play in their daily lives. Confucious said in his Analects â€Å"The Master said, Incomparable was Hui! A handful of rice to eat, a gourd full of water to drink, living in a mean street--others would have found it unendurably depressing, but to Huis cheerfulness it made no difference at all. Incomparable indeed