Gita and Gospel

"Here, then, we have the secret of that similarity which we are all so clearly conscious of, when we read a Gospel alongside of the Glta. In the Gospels we have in historical form the authoritative utterances of the historical Jesus; in the Gita we have the imaginations of a poet-philosopher who was clear-sighted enough to realize that an incarnate god would have many things to say about himself, and that his teaching would bear the note of authority. When, however, we look for exact parallels between the two, they are hard to find: the books are so utterly diverse in origin and teaching that they have little in common except the tone of the master. In a few cases, however, the resemblance is rather striking."

"The Gita is one of the most eloquent possible proofs of the fact that the human heart cries out for an incarnate Saviour. Scarcely less impressive is the evidence furnished by the reception of the Gita by Hindu readers: not the greatest of the Upanishads, neither the Chandogya nor the Katha, has had one quarter of the influence exercised by this late poem; and the secret undoubtedly is to be found in the attraction of the man-god Krishna. How many generations of pious readers have found in the story of the life and teaching of the incarnate god something to which their deepest and most persistent religious instincts have responded! How many to-day turn to Krishna in their trials and troubles!"

"On the one hand, then, we have the imaginative portrait of Krishna, surrounded by millions of adoring worshippers—touching spectacle! On the other, stands the historical Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Man and Son of God, stretching out His nail-pierced hands to India, as He says, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Rightly read, the Gita, is a clear-tongued prophecy of Christ, and the hearts that bow down to the idea of Krishna are really seeking the incarnate Son of God."

Farquhar, J. N. (John Nicol), 1861-1929

The Gita and Gospel is available for free in ebook format here.

The image is entitled, "Mary Magdalene," by Frank Wesley, India