The author makes a provocative suggestion that Bhagavad-Gita is highly interpolated. He claims that the original Gita written by sage Vyasa at about 400 B.C. was only about 84 verses long and the rest of 616 verses were added much later perhaps by Shankara. His arguments are gravely flawed since he uses wrong facts and erroneous conclusions. His purported examination includes: the monotheism of Gita; devotion and love for God (bhakti yoga); and finally the Sankhya and Yoga philosophies mingled with Vedanta. He argues that much of the ideological conflicts in Gita are due to interpolation that occurred during the revival of Brahmanism. In this book, the author observes the following: The original Gita had 84 verses and began at verse 28 of chapter 1 and covers the first three chapters; the last 15 chapters of Gita and few verses in the first three chapters were introduced to create a link with Vedanta and monotheism; the original Gita was altered during the time of Brahmanical revivalism around 800 A.D. to promote the doctrine of dualism and Vedanta. The author also states that the Sankhya Karika of Kapila and Yoga Sutra of Patanjalai were interpolated to fit the interpolations in the Gita. In other words the author(s) who redacted Gita also interpolated the two philosophical systems. Prominent thinkers like Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Rudolf Otto, Prem Nath Bazaz and G. S. Khair have all said that the original Gita was interpolated, but scholars like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, K.T. Telang, Kashinath Upadhaya, Etiene Lamotte, Emile Senart, Eliot Deutsch, Franklin Edgerton, Rudolf Steiner, and Robert Minor have expressed the view that the vulgate is the same as the original and no interpolation ever occurred. They all put the date of Gita as between 500 B.C. to about 300 B.C., but Richard Garbe thinks that original Gita was written in second century B.C., and recension may have occurred in second century A.D.
This author uses historical methods to evaluate the feasibility of interpolation instead of using Gita's structure, grammar, exposition, style, diction, terminology, and philosophy (1). In this book he postulates that the success of Sankhya and Yoga philosophies in the teachings of Buddhism and Jainism caused fear among Vedic Brahmans that the Vedic practices will be forgotten and lost. This argument is incorrect, because in post-Vedic India, there were various revivals of many ancient Vedic practices, under the Gupta Empire in the north (ca. 4th to 6th century), and the Chola Empire in the south (ca. 9th century).
Gita in the vulgate form is still strongly Sankhya, and Yoga philosophies, especially the bhakti yoga. Vedanta is still a non-major player in Gita. If Shankara were to introduce Vedanta into Gita, he could have interpolated in such a way that Vedanta could have been a major thought in Gita's teachings.
The author also claims that monotheism did not exist prior to 800 A.D. This assertion is also incorrect since monotheism is dominantly expressed through the key concepts of Atman and Brahman in several early Upanishads which precedes Bhagavad-Gita and New Testament
The claims that Shankara borrowed monotheism from New Testament are preposterous. Even in Rgveda, which is dated about 1500 to 1200 B.C., the thought of monotheism is clearly expressed. In Rig Veda I.164 .46; they call Him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni; and He is the heavenly nobly-winged Garuthman! To what is One, Sages give many a title, Agni, Yama, Matharisvan they call it! In Rig Veda 1.164.20; "Two birds associated together, and mutual friends, take refuge in the same tree; one of them eats the sweet fig; the other abstaining from food, merely looks on." In Rig Veda 1.164.21 "Where the smooth-gliding rays, cognizant, distil the perpetual portion of water; there has the lord and steadfast protector all beings accepted me, though immature in wisdom". And in Rig Veda 1.164.22 "In the tree into which the smooth-gliding rays feeders on the sweet, enters, and again bring forth light over all, they have called the fruit sweet, but he partakes not of it who knows not the protector of the universe." In these three verses the first bird represents a Jiva, or individual self, or soul. She has a female nature, being a shakti (energy). When the jiva becomes distracted by the fruits (signifying sensual pleasure), she momentarily forgets her lord and lover and tries to enjoy the fruit independently of him. This separating forgetfulness is Maya, or spiritual death, and constitutes the fall of the jiva into the world of material birth, death, disease and old age. The second bird is the Paramatman, an aspect of God who accompanies every living being in the heart while she remains in the material world. He is the supporter of all beings and is beyond sensual pleasure. The concept of Atman and Jiva has been personified and made its way as Adam and Eve in Bible.
Chapters IV-XVIII has Sankhya and Yoga philosophies but tied to theistic, devotional and renunciation ideas. These interpolations still show that the original Sankhya and Yoga philosophies have been retained even though the redactors could have easily dominated the text with Vedanta at the expense of Sankhya and Yoga philosophies. This observation certainly argues against interpolation by Shankara. There is very little academic support for the idea that major interpolation occurred as late as 800 A.D.
Bhagavad-Gita composed by sage Vyasa presents the basic philosophies of Kapila, Patanjali and early Upanishads in a unique way. The Gita presented the essence of all the masters of Indian culture in the form of a song of God that became very popular with masses in India.
This author uses historical methods to evaluate the feasibility of interpolation instead of using Gita's structure, grammar, exposition, style, diction, terminology, and philosophy (1). In this book he postulates that the success of Sankhya and Yoga philosophies in the teachings of Buddhism and Jainism caused fear among Vedic Brahmans that the Vedic practices will be forgotten and lost. This argument is incorrect, because in post-Vedic India, there were various revivals of many ancient Vedic practices, under the Gupta Empire in the north (ca. 4th to 6th century), and the Chola Empire in the south (ca. 9th century).
Gita in the vulgate form is still strongly Sankhya, and Yoga philosophies, especially the bhakti yoga. Vedanta is still a non-major player in Gita. If Shankara were to introduce Vedanta into Gita, he could have interpolated in such a way that Vedanta could have been a major thought in Gita's teachings.
The author also claims that monotheism did not exist prior to 800 A.D. This assertion is also incorrect since monotheism is dominantly expressed through the key concepts of Atman and Brahman in several early Upanishads which precedes Bhagavad-Gita and New Testament
The claims that Shankara borrowed monotheism from New Testament are preposterous. Even in Rgveda, which is dated about 1500 to 1200 B.C., the thought of monotheism is clearly expressed. In Rig Veda I.164 .46; they call Him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni; and He is the heavenly nobly-winged Garuthman! To what is One, Sages give many a title, Agni, Yama, Matharisvan they call it! In Rig Veda 1.164.20; "Two birds associated together, and mutual friends, take refuge in the same tree; one of them eats the sweet fig; the other abstaining from food, merely looks on." In Rig Veda 1.164.21 "Where the smooth-gliding rays, cognizant, distil the perpetual portion of water; there has the lord and steadfast protector all beings accepted me, though immature in wisdom". And in Rig Veda 1.164.22 "In the tree into which the smooth-gliding rays feeders on the sweet, enters, and again bring forth light over all, they have called the fruit sweet, but he partakes not of it who knows not the protector of the universe." In these three verses the first bird represents a Jiva, or individual self, or soul. She has a female nature, being a shakti (energy). When the jiva becomes distracted by the fruits (signifying sensual pleasure), she momentarily forgets her lord and lover and tries to enjoy the fruit independently of him. This separating forgetfulness is Maya, or spiritual death, and constitutes the fall of the jiva into the world of material birth, death, disease and old age. The second bird is the Paramatman, an aspect of God who accompanies every living being in the heart while she remains in the material world. He is the supporter of all beings and is beyond sensual pleasure. The concept of Atman and Jiva has been personified and made its way as Adam and Eve in Bible.
Chapters IV-XVIII has Sankhya and Yoga philosophies but tied to theistic, devotional and renunciation ideas. These interpolations still show that the original Sankhya and Yoga philosophies have been retained even though the redactors could have easily dominated the text with Vedanta at the expense of Sankhya and Yoga philosophies. This observation certainly argues against interpolation by Shankara. There is very little academic support for the idea that major interpolation occurred as late as 800 A.D.
Bhagavad-Gita composed by sage Vyasa presents the basic philosophies of Kapila, Patanjali and early Upanishads in a unique way. The Gita presented the essence of all the masters of Indian culture in the form of a song of God that became very popular with masses in India.
Reference: The Gita As It Was: Rediscovering the Original Bhagavadgita by Phulgenda Sinha
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