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28
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
passages of the poem. Krishna says VII. 23," those that worship God, go to God; while those that revere me, go to me," and at IX, 25, he repeats the same promise somewhat more fully. That the "going to the Devas (or to the Pitsis and Bhâtâni, IX, 25) can only mean a conscious continuance of an individual being, is clear. [p. 54] As the "going'' to Krishna (or God) is spoken of along with that, no other meaning could have been intended by this "going", because of the parallelism and the correspondence of the expression (wat with the accusative). If one were still doubtful regarding this conclusion, I might refer him to XIV. 2, where God describes the emancipated 46 (ones) with the words, mama sddharmyam agatah "those who have attained sameness of essence with me." sadharmya does not signify oneness, sameness, identity (aikya, ai kátmya, táddtmya) but qualitative equality. From this it follows that emancipation, according to the Bhag., is to be regarded as an elevation of the soul to God-like existence, as an individual continuance in the presence of God. In this connection it might further be mentioned that in XVI. 23, the condition of the emancipated is, after being described as siddhi and parâ gati, called "sukha," happiness, bliss.
The doctrines here briefly worked out are to be met with not only in Bhag. but also in many other passages of the Mahabharata ; and, of course, the entire series of ideas of the refashioned Vedantisized Gita, is not to be regarded as something standing isolated in the Mahabharata.7 I believe, however--and the supposition is not over-bold—that the Gita is the source from which these doctrines might have spread to other parts of the Epos, apart from these plagiarisms and imitations mentioned above, which can clearly be recognized as such.
I have now to offer a few words of observation on the question regarding the Buddhistic and the Christian influence in the Bhag. Buddhistic influence might be detected in the recommending of the golden mean in VI. 16, 17, [p. 55] and this supposition would gain ground by a reference to the occurrence of the word Nirvana in the immediately preceding verse, VI. 15. As evidently the application of the word Nirvana ig not entirely confined to Buddhistic literary usage, (Brahmanirudna occurs four times in the refashioned Gita), and as the idea of the thoughtful moderation (the golden mean referred to above) could be explained on the ground of common human reflection, the Buddhistic influence in this passage might be regarded as very much doubtful, resting at most on very far-fetched reasons. And the pessimism which comes up to notice at XIII. 8 is not to be referred back to the Budhistic influences, but must be derived from the tenets of the Sürkhya philosophy, which in this, as in other respects, lies at the root of Buddhism. 48
More important is the question regarding the influence of Christianity on the Bhag.. an influence which is often asserted and as often refuted. Any Christian influenoe in the original (genuine) Gita is as, I think, quite precluded by its age, which I trust I shall establish with some degree of probability in the noxt part. I would also refer to what I tried to make good above regarding the genuine Indian origin of Bhakti. That there is a historica) possibility of the anthor of the refashioned Gitá being acquainted with the tenets of
* The parallel expression IV. 10 madbhavam dgatak" have reached my state" finds its oxplanation n this passage.
Compare Hopkins, Religions of India, p. 401 (top). # The treatments of this question in Telang, Introduction, p. 24 and ff., regte on the Omrono oua supposition that the Ghid is anterior to Buddhism.
