A comparative exploration of Dante’s Divine Comedy and the Bhagavad Gita
The Divine Dialogue: Visions of Love's Triumph
Topic: Discussing the Divine Comedy and Bhagavad Gita.
Guests: William Franke and Jayashankar Krishnamurty.
Welcome to a special episode of my Vedanta Podcast, where we will be discussing two iconic works of spiritual literature: Dante’s Divine Comedy and the ancient Hindu scripture, Bhagavad Gita. My esteemed guests, Professor William Franke and Jayashankar Krishnamurty, offer their unique perspectives on these rich texts that have inspired spiritual seekers across vastly different cultures for centuries.
Guests
William Franke is an American academic and philosopher, a professor of Comparative Literature at Vanderbilt University. The main exposition of his philosophical thinking is A Philosophy of the Unsayable (2014), a book which dwells on the limits of language to open thought to the inconceivable. On this basis, the discourses of myth, mysticism, metaphysics, and the arts take on new and previously unsuspected types of meaning.
Franke holds degrees in philosophy and theology from Williams College and Oxford University and in comparative literature from UC Berkeley and Stanford (PhD 1991). He lectures and teaches in English, German, French, and Italian. He is a member of “HolyLit: Religion and Literature,” of the Freie Universität Berlin and Harvard University and has been a member of the Dante Society Executive Council by the general election of the Dante Society of America. Franke’s philosophical work intertwines with his production as a theorist in comparative literature. His interdisciplinary approach focuses on Dante’s Divine Comedy read as a theological revelation in poetic language.
Dr Jayashankar Krishnamurty: A senior disciple of Swami Parthasarathy, is a graduate of science from the University of Madras and a postgraduate in Packaging Technology from Mumbai. He had a distinguished corporate career. Seeking answers to questions about life and living he sought the guidance of his guru and spent four years full-time at Vedanta Academy. For over two decades, he has been researching and propagating the knowledge of Vedanta, in Telangana State, through Swamiji’s publications. He is the Executive Trustee of Vedanta Institute Hyderabad, a Charitable Trust registered in Telangana (Formerly Andhra Pradesh).
Topic
Divine Comedy and Bhagavad Gita. Two extraordinary works. The first dates back to 1300 AD. The most widely accepted view is that the Bhagavad Gita was composed between the 5th and 2nd centuries BC
These two masterpieces are united by numerous aspects.
One above all: the earthly path towards the divine, the evolution of the two protagonists, Arjuna and Dante, in the direction of love. This is thanks to the wisdom and support of two extraordinary guides: Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita and Virgil in the Divine Comedy.
The “dialogue” that exists between these extraordinary literary gems of the perennial philosophy, thousands of years and miles apart, is incredible. The two great protagonists Dante and Arjuna are two great personalities, one Prior of the very rich city of Florence, the other an important warrior prince of the Pandavas.
Dante and Arjuna receive teachings to be practically experienced through love. They will discover that everything is driven by love and that it will always save us even in the darkest moments of our lives.
Love will always win over darkness.
Enjoy my podcast
I am grateful to both Professor William Franke and Dr Jayashankar Krishnamurty for lending their expertise, which allowed for a stimulating dialogue that brought new light to these iconic texts. This conversation revealed the continued relevance of the Divine Comedy and Bhagavad Gita as sources of spiritual guidance for modern seekers. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it!
Thanks for reading.
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