What are the roles of work or action (karma) and devotion (bhakti) in the Yoga of the Bhagavad Gītā
Asian 112L hinduism essay
Write an essay addressing one of the following questions:
1. Te assigned selection of hymns from the Rigveda contains four hymns concerning the creation of the universe (pp. 6–8). What concepts do these visions of creation seem to share, and in what ways do they differ?
2. What is the nature of the “self” or “soul” (ātman, also translated as “self”) according to the Chandogya Upanisad (pp. 132–141)?
3. What are the roles of ‘work’ or ‘action’ (karma) and ‘devotion’ (bhakti) in the Yoga of the Bhagavad Gītā? How do these relate to each other?
4. How does the Bhagavad Gītā characterize Krishna? What kind of image of God does he represent? How does the Bhagavad Gītā’s Krishna compare with the idea of Brahman?
5. What Krishna teaches as Yoga in the Bhagavad-Gītā is a direct response to Arjuna’s hesitation to fight. What does Yoga have to do with war? How is violence to be justified? Take into consideration the views of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (based on the reading posted on Blackboard).
GUIDELINES a. Essays should be approximately 750–1000 words long. You may use any standard, non-italic font, 10–12 points in size.
b. Submission will be electronic, via Blackboard (not by email, please). Te file should be in one of the following formats: .PDF or .DOC/DOCX.
c. Essays must be submitted before midnight on Sept. 30. Submission will be electronic, via Blackboard (not by email, please). Te file should be in one of the following formats: .PDF or .DOC/DOCX. See the Syllabus for the policy on late submission.
d. Te assignment is worth 10% of one’s final grade.
e. Please indicate clearly which question you are answering. Titles are optional.
f. Te essay should be based on the assigned readings: hymns of the Rigveda, the Bhagavad Gītā, and/or Chāndogya Upanisad, with support from the textbook. Draw upon specific supporting evidence from the texts. You may cite these by name with the page number in parentheses: for example, (Chandogya Upanisad, p. 133). Cite other sources clearly in a standard format, such as author-date, and provide a bibliography at the end of your essay in an standard format. If you draw on sources other than those assigned, which is discouraged, these should be scholarly publications—not, for instance, Wikipedia or other websites. You may use the library’s online resources to identify scholarly publications.
GRADING CRITERIA Te essays will be graded on the basis of the following criteria:
a. Focus and organization 1. Does the essay stay focused upon the assigned topic? 2. Is the essay organized effectively? Does it contain a compelling introduction and conclusion, unified paragraphs, and appropriate transitions?
b. Comprehension 1. To what extent does the essay demonstrate comprehension of the subject matter? ASIAN/RELSTY L 2. Does the essay draw upon and demonstrate understanding of the relevant course materials, and make connections between them?
c. Writing mechanics and style 1. To what extent are grammatical errors and spelling mistakes present? 2. Are citations provided consistently and in the correct format? 3. To what extent is the prose carefully crafed, clear, and well-edited?
d. Insight 1. To what extent does the essay make a clear and convincing argument? 2. Does the essay contain significant insights and original thinking?
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