Bhagavad Gita and views on other religions?

Question

I love the Bhagavad Gita's take on everything and I am very pro-Krishnaism, however I am slightly confused on the Gita's view on other religions. Does the Gita claim that the "god" described in Christianity, Islam, etc. is ultimately the same in the form of the Supreme Godhead? Is this interpretation correct?

Answer 1

@Krishna's comment above to your question is right; the Gita was spoken long before any of the other great world religions were around.

Krishna says (Gita IV. 7-8):

Whenever there is a decline of dharma, O Bharata, and a rise of adharma, I incarnate Myself.

For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of dharma, I am born in every age.

So Krishna says that he will incarnate Himself again and again when needed; many people believe that Krishna Himself incarnated as Christ. To answer your question, yes, the same God worshiped in other religions is the same Supreme Godhead of the Gita.

and in Gita IV. 11:

In whatsoever way men approach Me, even so do I reward them; for it is My path, O Partha, that men follow in all things.

God does not belong to one religion, all religions belong to God. You can approach Him through all paths, all religions lead to Him. Different approaches will have different views of the same thing, one view does not invalidate the other. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa said (Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna):

He who is called Krishna is also called Siva, and bears the name of the Primal Energy, Jesus, and Allah as well--the same Rama with a thousand names. A lake has several ghats. At one the Hindus take water in pitchers and call it 'jal'; at another the Mussalmans take water in leather bags and call 'pani'. At a third the Christians call it 'water'. Can we imagine that it is not 'jal' but only 'pani' or 'water'? How ridiculous! The substance is One under different names, and everyone is seeking the same substance; only climate, temperament, and name create differences. Let each man follow his own path. If he sincerely and ardently wishes to know God, peace be unto him! He will surely realize Him.

And Gita (VII. 7):

There exists nothing whatsoever higher than I am, O Dhanajaya. All is strung on Me as a row of gems on a thread.

All the different religions are simply gems strung around the Supreme Godhead.

Answer 2

First addressing your confusion about Gita's view on other religions.
Gita has never opinionated on any religion; not even Hinduism! Historically the term "Hindu" itself was originated in Iran. Ofcourse, Hinduism carried the Gita forward. (Don't mistake "Hinduism" to be a religion, it's a "way of life", according to Indian Supreme Court.)

The only (falsely interpreted) mention about other "Religions" is here:
Chapter-18, Verse-66

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

Abandon all varieties of religions and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

Since there is no single word translation in western language for Dharma, people often label "Religion" as "Dharma" which not right, though Religion plays important part in defining Dharma. Dharma can be appx termed as "Conformance of own duties with righteousness".

Now answering your question:
NO Gita does Not claim that god described in Christianity and Islam are ultimately same in form of Supreme Godhead.

For below reasons:

1. Islam & Christianity did not exist when Gita was said. Though some scholars like Zakir Naik has claimed that Islam existed with beginning of humanity, there is no evidence of that.
2. Gita advocates that "Formful God" is easier to achieve than "Formless God". It directly contradicts with Islam. You may refer beginning of Chapter-12
3. With respect to Christianity, many concepts are matching with Hinduism like Oneness of god who created everything, trinity, multiple gods. But again, there is no such claim in Gita.

Answer 3

Apart from Abrahamic religions, If I take the liberty to quote Bhagavad Gita and its commentary by Srila Baladev Vidyabhushan called , regarding its views on other Indian religions like Buddhism, Jainism, then these would be some of the relevant quotes of the Gita Verses along with the commentary.

- 2. 26.

atha cainaṁ nitya-jātaṁ nityaṁ vā manyase mṛtam tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho nainaṁ śocitum arhasi

, , - ❗

https://archive.org/details/GitaBhusana1.KrsnadasBaba/page/n29/mode/2up

Commentary

'Having given his own opinion on why one should not lament for the soul, the Lord now speaks of the opinion of others, in order to give other viewpoints. The student, knowing these viewpoints and consequently destroying them along with their contamination, , should remain fixed, victorious, in the Lord’s viewpoint. Endowed with a body such as human form, composed of the four elements, consciousness arises from that, just as red color arises from betel nut or the potency arises in liquor. That body made of four elements is itself the ätmä. , , . .

, , .

In both these philosophies, there should be no lamentation for the ätmä. The word atha in this verse indicates other opinions. Ca means api, even. If you cannot understand My words about the nature of the soul, then you can take the support of other doctrines such as that of the .

In this philosophy which claims that the body is the ätmä, you consider that this self, the body, is continually born and continually dies. The word vä means “and.” Therefore you should not lament for this self (body), with such words as “Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts. Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own kinsmen.” (BG 1.44) This is because in these two philosophies there is no fear of sin continuing into next life, since there is no next birth, and there is unavoidable creation and destruction of the selves (body), whose very nature is change. . " - ! , , .❞

- 16. 8

asatyam apratithishtam te jagad ähur anishvaram | aparaspara-sambhutam kim anyat käma-haitukam ||8||

, , . . .

https://archive.org/details/GitaBhusana3.KrsnadasBaba/page/n33/Commentary

Commentary

'The Lord shows the conclusions of the demons. He speaks first of one soul (impersonal) philosophy. This world is false (asatyam), filled with error, like thinking shell is silver. The world has no basis (apratithishtam), like a flower in the sky. It has no God as a cause for its creation, maintenance and destruction (anishvaram). Being of this nature, it is just composed of an illusion. If there were a Supreme Lord within the world, the world He created would not be so ephemeral. Therefore they consider that the world must be false. This one soul without qualities, known by all sources of knowledge, because of error in knowledge, reflects itself through ignorance as another entity--in the form of the material world, the individual jivas and the Lord. From the time of realizing ones real nature as the one soul, there is no contradiction, there is only oneness. Until that time of awakening, everything is like elephants, horses and chariots in a dream. In realizing ones true nature, what was imagined out of ignorance should disappear along with the notion of being a separate jiva, just as the chariots and horses disappear during deep sleep. The Lord then describes the theory of svabhäva or nature, advocated by the . The world does not arise from the intercourse between men and women (aparaspara sambhütam) or like a potter produces a pot (with intention), since the parents produce a child with lack of knowledge. Even after men and women enjoy one time only, children appear, and scorpions appear from sweat spontaneously. Thus creation takes place by its own nature, spontaneously, by natures inherent properties. The Lord describes the theory of the (Carvaka). What more can be said? There is no purpose of the world except to fulfill lust. The lust between men and women alone is the cause of the world, being the motive for all action.Haitukam from hetu indicates some motive. Or the say that is the cause is ones own will-whatever one can imagine according to his reasoning power, he will say that is the cause of the world.'

18. 21

pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaṁ nānā-bhāvān pṛthag-vidhān vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu taj jñānaṁ viddhi rājasam

❞ .❞

https://archive.org/details/GitaBhusana3.KrsnadasBaba/page/n51/Commentary

Commentary

'This verse speaks of knowledge in the mode of passion. That knowledge which accepts that a different jiva ( pṛthaktvena ) assumes successive forms of deva, man and other creatures, where the jiva is destroyed with the destruction of each body; (nānā-vidhān bhāvān ), ⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨ ⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨,⃨ ⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨ ,⃨ ⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨,⃨ ⃨⃨ ⃨⃨⃨⃨⃨ , . : (); (); (); the ätmä is God, consisting of eternal knowledge alone (Mäyäväda); the ätmä, different from the body, is a conscious, all pervasive entity giving shelter to nine particular qualities (Nyäya philosophy).'