The Bhagavadgîtâ, with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ — SBE Vol. 8 (trans. K. T. Telang, 1882)
The translator’s English as printed (K. T. Telang). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
The passages to which I have given references in brackets will show, that Professor Max Miiller’s words might all be used with strict accuracy regarding the essential teaching of the Bhagavadgita. We have here, therefore, another strong circumstance in favour of grouping the Gita with the Upanishads. One more point is worthy of note. Wherever the Gita refers to the Vedas in the somewhat disparaging manner I have noted, no distinction is taken between the portion which relates to the ritual and the portion which relates to that higher science, viz. the science of the soul, which Sanatkumâra speaks of in his famous dialogue with Nârada¹. At Gita, chapter II, stanza 45, Arguna is told that the Vedas relate only to the effects of the three qualities, which effects Arguna is instructed to overcome. At Gita, chapter VI, stanza 44, Arguna is told that he who has acquired some little devotion, and then exerts himself for further progress, rises above the Divine word—the Vedas. And there are also one or two other passages of the like nature. They all treat the Vedas as concerned with ritual alone. They make no reference to any portion of the Vedas dealing with the higher knowledge. If the word Vedanta, at Gita, chapter XV, stanza 15 (p. 113), signifies, as it seems to signify, this latter portion of the Vedas, then that is the only allusion to it. But, from all the passages in the Gita which refer to the Vedas, I am inclined to draw the inference, that the Upanishads of the Vedas were composed at a time not far removed from the time of the composition of the Gita, and that at that period the Upanishads had not yet risen to the position of high importance which they afterwards commanded. In the passage referred to at chapter XV, the word Vedantas probably signifies the Aranyakas, which may be regarded as marking the beginning of the epoch, which the composition of the Upanishads brought to its close. And it is to the close of this epoch, that I would assign the birth of the Gita, which is probably one of the youngest members of the group to which it belongs.
p. 33
3 See Khândogya-upanishad, p. 473, or rather I ought to have referred to the Muṇḍaka-upanishad, where the superiority and inferiority is more distinctly stated in words, pp. 266, 267. (8) Make
The passages I have cited in brackets will show that Professor Max Müller's words could all be applied with strict accuracy to the essential teaching of the Bhagavadgita. This gives us another strong reason for grouping the Gita with the Upanishads. One further point deserves notice. Wherever the Gita refers to the Vedas in the somewhat disparaging way I have noted, it draws no distinction between the portion concerned with ritual and the portion concerned with that higher science—the science of the soul—which Sanatkumâra expounds in his famous dialogue with Nârada¹. At Gita, chapter II, stanza 45, Arjuna is told that the Vedas relate only to the effects of the three qualities, effects he is instructed to overcome. At Gita, chapter VI, stanza 44, he is told that one who has acquired some little devotion and then strives for further progress rises above the Divine word—the Vedas. There are also one or two other passages of the same kind. All of them treat the Vedas as concerned with ritual alone, and none makes any reference to a portion of the Vedas dealing with higher knowledge. If the word Vedanta at Gita, chapter XV, stanza 15 (p. 113), means, as it seems to mean, this latter portion of the Vedas, then that is the only allusion to it. From all the passages in the Gita that refer to the Vedas, I am inclined to conclude that the Upanishads were composed at a time not far from the composition of the Gita, and that at that period the Upanishads had not yet risen to the position of high importance they later commanded. In the passage referred to at chapter XV, the word Vedantas probably signifies the Aranyakas, which may be regarded as marking the beginning of the epoch that the composition of the Upanishads brought to its close. It is to the close of this epoch that I would assign the birth of the Gita, which is probably one of the youngest members of the group to which it belongs.
p. 33
3 See Khândogya-upanishad, p. 473, or rather I should have pointed to the Muṇḍaka-upanishad, where the distinction between superiority and inferiority is stated more plainly in so many words, pp. 266, 267. (8) Make