The three passages from the Bhagavad-Gita discuss the themes of motivation, selfishness, rewards, and goodness. They encourage people to be motivated by selfless living and thinking of others instead of themselves in order to achieve spiritual freedom and awareness. However, being motivated only by rewards can lead to constant anxiety. The passages also portray that doing good results in good rewards, like thinking of others before oneself. They highlight that ridding oneself of selfishness allows one's spirit to be free, while being selfish locks one into an "ego cage." The overall main idea discussed is motivation to stray from evil and do good.
The three passages from the Bhagavad-Gita discuss the themes of motivation, selfishness, rewards, and goodness. They encourage people to be motivated by selfless living and thinking of others instead of themselves in order to achieve spiritual freedom and awareness. However, being motivated only by rewards can lead to constant anxiety. The passages also portray that doing good results in good rewards, like thinking of others before oneself. They highlight that ridding oneself of selfishness allows one's spirit to be free, while being selfish locks one into an "ego cage." The overall main idea discussed is motivation to stray from evil and do good.
The three passages from the Bhagavad-Gita discuss the themes of motivation, selfishness, rewards, and goodness. They encourage people to be motivated by selfless living and thinking of others instead of themselves in order to achieve spiritual freedom and awareness. However, being motivated only by rewards can lead to constant anxiety. The passages also portray that doing good results in good rewards, like thinking of others before oneself. They highlight that ridding oneself of selfishness allows one's spirit to be free, while being selfish locks one into an "ego cage." The overall main idea discussed is motivation to stray from evil and do good.
The 3 example passages in the Bhagavad-Gita have many intricated and deep meanings about
Motivation, Selfishness, Rewards, and Goodness. Motivation is highlighted in these passages
through the aspect of rewards. For example, an excerpt states “They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the ego cage “I”, “me”, and “mine” to be united with the Lord.” This passage states that those who are motivated by selfless living are eternally liberated. It encourages others to be motivated to think of others instead of themselves. The passage “Seek refuge in the attitude of detachment and you will amass a wealth of spiritual awareness” also carries a similar meaning of motivation by encouraging/motivating people to detach themselves from wrong. The passage “Those who are motivated only by desire for fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do” highlights motivation in a different light. It highlights how people who are motivated by a reward will pay for their actions through their constant anxiety. These excerpts also portray a theme of rewards. One passage highlights that a reward for selflessness is spiritual liberty. Another passage states the reward of spiritual awareness is someone removes themselves from the wrongs of societal norms. The theme of goodness is also described through the aspect of “if you do good, you will obtain good rewards”. For example, the passages call you to think of others before yourself. This is one definition of goodness. The first and last excerpts really highlight the theme of selfishness. The meaning behind it is “if you rid yourself of selfishness, your spirit is free. Vice versa.” It even states “renounce all selfish desires and break away from the ego cage”, saying that if you are selfish, you are locking yourself in. Although there may be many interconnected themes, the main idea is motivation, as all the excerpts motivate or encourage you to stray from evil and do good. I think the Beatitude that best describes the theme of motivation in these passages is “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy”. I think this because the ideas in the previous passages that motivate one to do good are very similar to the ones in this beatitude. For example, to be merciful can mean to be forgiving, and to forgive is to be selfless. Just like the idea of being good and selfless with a given reward of freedom in the Bhagavad-Gita, this beatitude carries the