JEAN PAUL SARTRE AND THE BHAGWAD GITA..

                                   

JEAN PAUL SARTRE AND THE   BHAGWAD GITA..

( Above Three  Photos ... Avtar Mota at the tomb of Jean Paul Sartre inside Montparnasse cemetery in Paris ..2023 )

"An individual chooses and makes himself."....( Jean Paul Sartre) 

"Man is condemned to be free."..... (Jean Paul Sartre )

"There is no reality except in action." (Il n'y a de réalité que dans l'action.) ...( Jean Paul Sartre )

Jean Paul  Sartre's existentialism and the Bhagwad Gita might seem worlds apart, but there are some interesting parallels .While American transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau were influenced by Bhagwad Gita in the 19th century, this interest was largely separate from the 20th-century French existentialist movement. And many  modern scholars often draw comparisons between the two ,  particularly on topics such as freedom, action, responsibility, and the nature of selfhood.

Both ,  Sartre and the Bhagwad Gita emphasise individual freedom and choice. Sartre's "existence precedes essence"resonates with the  Bhagwad Gita's idea of detachment and doing your duty without attachment to outcomes. Both  nudge an individual to take responsibility for  his actions.

Sartre's "Il n'y a de réalité que dans l'action" (There's no reality except in action) vibes with the Bhagavad Gita's emphasis on "Karma" (action) and "Nishkama Karma" (action without attachment) .The  Bhagwad Gita's  concept of  Karma  (action) without attachment to its phala (fruits) resonates  with Sartre's "cry for action born of choice"

Both, Sartre and the Bhagwad Gita say that reality unfolds through our actions, and it's our choices and deeds that give life meaning .The Gita encourages acting with detachment, while Sartre's existentialism leans into freedom and responsibility in action .

Although Bhagwad Gita expounds it's philosophy on a total theistic platform acknowledging the existence of supreme reality , Sartre developed his philosophy purely on a atheistic principles. Yet the similarities convince a serious reader that Sartre did have some basic study of the Bhagwad Gita .

Noted Bengali scholar Pathik Basu writes this :-

 " Within  the confines of a  capitalist-centric State, one frequently experiences  a shift from  " Self " to "Other " . This phenomenon has been astutely  observed  by Jean Paul Sartre. The Bhagwad Gita also illuminates this transition revealing the intrinsic nature of the work itself and a reversal from  "Other " to "Universal Self "  through the path of selfless action ." 

Will add more ...Working on it ..

( Avtar Mota )

PS

Jean-Paul Sartre and his lifelong companion Simone de Beauvoir are  both buried in Montparnasse cemetery in Paris under one tombstone. 

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