Gilgamesh V Bahvaghad Gita Essay
While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (gilgamesh v bahvaghad gita)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!
In both The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Bhagavad-Gita, the gods play a cent0ral role. The Mesopotamians of Gilgamesh see their gods as very human-like creatures, often with faults and whims like their own. On the other hand, the Hindus see more all-powerful, heavenly beings free from faults. This discrepancy in the perception of gods effects the power of their gods and also the longevity of the religion.
The gods in The Epic of Gilgamesh behave like human beings, and therefore, limit their power. Ishtar, the goddess of love, sees Gilgamesh and falls in love with his beauty and longs for his body (35). This passion and longing for sex is a very human and earthly characteristic. Gods of the modern world would never participate in these carnal pleasures. Later, Ishtar shows even more emotion. “The king of Uruk has insulted me (37).” She takes this feeling of dejection a step further by enacting revenge on Gilgamesh. One would think a goddess would be strong enough to do this of her own accord, but Ishtar cannot. In Mesopotamian mythology, no one god is all-powerful, Ishtar must ask Anu, her father, for permission. “The goddess said to the god her father thus: ‘Give me the Bull of Heaven that I may punish Gilgamesh the king (37).” Anu replies by saying, “’If I should give the Bull of Heaven to you, then there would follow seven years of husks. Have you prepared for this?’ (37)” Ishtar says she has, and the Bull is given to her. This conversation is much like the dialog a mortal father and daughter would have. The daughter asks for permission. The father makes sure she has thought the action through and then consents. This is not god-like behavior. The fact that Ishtar has to seek permission before acting undermines her power.
More examples of the gods behaving as humans can be found. After Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the Bull of Heaven and Huwawa, the gods meet in council and bicker about whether to kill both Enkidu and Gilgamesh or just one of them (39-40). Also, after Utnapishtim survives the flood, the gods meet in council and bicker over why Utnapishtim is still alive and what fair punishments should be (62). In both of these instances, the gods all meet together in council and discuss what is going on. This shows the sophisticated human process of discussion and possibly government. Probably, the Mesopotamians themselves would meet together to talk about the problems of the state. They personify their gods to reflect their society and way of governing. Even while reflecting their society through the gods, they are showing the gods’ weaknesses as well. When the gods meet, it is not in a diplomatic format. They disagree and argue about petty matters. They are not good examples about how affairs of state should be conducted.
The gods and goddesses play favorites and come down to help the people. Shamash, god of the sun, goes with Gilgamesh and Enkidu when they venture into the forest to slay Huwawa. He even helps them defeat this nature god. “Then Shamash heard the prayer of Gilgamesh and raised up thirteen storms against Huwawa (34).” This shows a god against a god for the sake of a human. Logically, one would think the gods would work together, but, obviously, the gods can be swayed by their human prejudices. This is further illustrated in the flood story. The gods come together in council once again and decide to flood the world and leave no survivors. Ea, the wise god of waters, goes against the decision made by the council. “The voice of Ea telling me the secret came whispering through the reed walls of my house: ‘…Utnapishtim, son of Ubartutu, abandon your house, abandon what you possess, abandon your house and build a boat instead. Seek life instead of riches, save yourself (57).” Here, Ea comes down to help a human and, as a possible result, upsets the gods. It seems strange that he would place a mere mortal’s well being over the wishes of another god.
Although the gods have power and generally command respect, this is not always the case. When Ishtar wants Gilgamesh’s body, he refuses her by saying, “You are the door through which the cold gets in. You are the fire that goes out. You are the pitch the sticks to the hands of the one who carries the bucket. You are the house that falls down. You are the shoe the pinches the foot of the wearer (36).” Gilgamesh is showing disrespect for the gods here. He obviously does not hold the goddess Ishtar in very high regard to speak about her in this way. Most cultures hold their gods in high reverence, but since the Mesopotamian gods are so human-like, they do not command consistent respect. It is hard to revere gods who argue with each other and show human faults. Gilgamesh’s attitude also shows bravery. He may not respect Ishtar, but she has more powers than he does, and, therefore, could hurt him. Ishtar did, in fact, try to kill Gilgamesh by sending the Bull of Heaven down on him, but this did not work. “…and...
MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 26 May, 2012 from
<http://essaymania.com/28688/gilgamesh-v-bahvaghad-gita>
More College Papers
Gilgamesh essay
The search for Everlasting Life
Gilgamesh wept over the death of his friend Enkidu. He thought that he was also going
to die like his brother. So he went to see Utnapishtim who has everlasting life. So he went
out looking for it and came to a great mountain named Mashu. At the front of the mo
Gilgamesh essay
Gilgamesh is an epic that has been passed down for thousands of years. The epic narrates the legendary deeds of the main character Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is two-thirds immortal and one-third mortal; however, he cannot accept his fate that one day he too will die. The entire epic tells the story of G
gilgamesh essay
In the narrative gilgamesh the main character gilgamesh, the King of ancient urk, a man who is two thirds god, is forced to deal with a loss of his close freind Enkidu. Instead of trying to cope with the loss in a sane and sensible manner, gilgamesh literally goes the end of the earth to find secre