Krishna and Socrates
Krishna and Socrates were the two famous prophets of two different religions, and these two changed many lives of the people. Socrates was considered an atheist and somehow a follower of the Greek religion, and Krishna was the prophet of the religion of Hinduism. These both prophets had many similar and contrasting qualities and behaviors. In this essay, I will discuss the characteristics of these characters and compare their advice with each other thoroughly.
Krishna and Socrates were greatly different from each other and belonged to different religions as well, but in many ways, they have some similar qualities and views. They were very influential when they gave advice to the people. They have unique qualities like they gave pieces of advice in such a way that people want to listen to them and also want to implement their advice in their lives. They both were kind, and spiritual, and followed strictly the rules given by the states. They want to serve their gods as well as their states; this factor was the most dominant factor in their lives. In addition to that, they were very responsible and desperately wanted to serve their community.
Like the similarities of these personalities, Socrates and Krishna had many contradictory and different approaches as well. One of the major differences between them was that Socrates followed the approach of independence, while Krishna followed the approach of communism. Socrates always gave the message to the people that they should live for themselves and he always focused on the free will of the people. He encouraged justice and freedom; also he thought that any individual is only responsible for his actions. Krishna’s views in this regard were totally opposite of Socrates, as he was against the idea of free will. He encouraged the fact that any sensible individual should never take responsibility for his actions. He should never care for the consequences of his actions. Like when Krishna gave advice to Arjuna in Mahabharat, he emphasized the idea to fight in the battle without thinking about its consequences. He encouraged the thought that anyone should not be afraid of his actions and their future consequences, he should act where required.
Values and beliefs were also the greatest differences between Socrates and Krishna. Socrates questioned the values and beliefs of his society and wanted to change them. The reason behind it was that he wanted to change his society and make it a better and more peaceful place. Krishna was totally opposite of Socrates’ belief, as he also wanted to better his society, but he wanted that the people should follow the old traditions, values, and beliefs. He believed that any individual should never try to question the values and beliefs of society.
Socrates and Krishna were two different but famous prophets, they both had some similar and some different qualities. The major factors of their lives were to serve humanity, the state, and their God. Their purpose in life was the same, but they achieved it through some similar and some different approaches.
Works Cited
Bajaj, Rita. “Use Lord Krishna’s Teachings for Better Decision-Making – Common Sense Living Newsletter.” Commonsenseliving.Co.In, 2014. https://www.commonsenseliving.co.in/common-sense-living-letters/detail.aspx?date=11/26/2014&story=178&title=Use-Lord-Krishnas-Teachings-for-Better-Decision-Making
Kenny, D. Philip. “Socratic Knowledge and The Daimonion.” 2013. http://aporia.byu.edu/pdfs/Kenny-Socratic_Knowledge_and_the_Daimonion.pdf
“Krishna’s Advice To Arjuna In The Bhagavad Gita.” Toseventhheaven.Blogspot.Com. 2010. http://toseventhheaven.blogspot.com/2010/04/14-krishnas-advice-to-arjuna-in.html
