Hinduism

Hinduism or the Sanatana Dharma is a religious tradition that appeared first in ancient India and its history can be traced to about 1500 BCE (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008). This religion, unlike Islam or Judaism, does not have a sole creator, a specific theological system, or a uniform religious center of power and authority. Hinduism is said to be a henotheistic religion; they recognize a single holy being, and view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that ultimate God (Robinson, 2008). Hinduism has three main sacred scriptures that complete each other. Initially, it was the early Vedas, and then appeared the Upanishads, and lastly the Bhagavad-Gita.

For this essay, I will compare the dialogue of Nachiketas and Yama with the discussion between Krishna and Arjuna. The former dialogue is taken from the Upanishads. Nachiketas is a Brahmin; in other words, he is a holy men devoted to Brahman, the supreme reality for the Hindus. The concept of "Brahman" will be clarified in further details later on. Nachiketas wants Yama, the God of Death, to explain to him the mystery of death. The other conversation has been selected from the Bhagavad- Gita. Arjuna is a warrior who is facing a dilemma. He has to choose between the social duty of killing the enemy and the spiritual obligation of nonviolence, which is one of the most crucial principles of Hinduism. He is seeking guidance from Lord Krishna, a deity that is in human form.

"When a man dies, this doubt arises: some say -he is- and some say -he is not-" (Novak, 1995). This is what Nachiketas wants to comprehend. In other words, is the human a mortal or immortal being? When one's heart stops beating and all the other organisms do not function anymore, does it mean that it is the "End of all" (Novak, 1995)?

According to the God of Death, Yama, only the ignorant or the fool believes that "this is the only world [and that] there is no other" (Novak, 1995). The ignorant is someone who follows pleasures and is a slave of his/her possessions. The fool is frightened by the Death who has power over him/her. This category of people, who is quite big, perceives death as an end of the satisfaction of their desires; pleasure stops.

The ignorant, unlike the wise, is not following the path of joy.

The Brahmin is not tempted by wealth or any other form of pleasure. The follower of the path of wisdom, like Nachiketas, is looking for the Atman, the Eternal Self, that can't be killed and can't die. Indeed, Atman or the soul "does not die when the body dies" (Novak, 1995). The belief in Atman is comparable to the faith in the soul in

Western culture; nevertheless, unlike the spirit Atman is not affected by feelings or physical needs of the body. Because of this, Indians look for their Atman, which will guide them to Brahman (J. J. Breaux, 2006).