Please note: No research is required to supplement your knowledge of your primary texts The Hebrew Bible, The New Testament, and the Bhagavad
Gita. In other words, you are the only expert you need. For each book provide at least 3 direct quotes and explain.
write a carefully thought-through, thoroughly supported, and stylish analytic essay. Although you should feel free to use ideas that were raised in class
discussion, take care to not merely repeat them, but to make them your own. Your essay should include a unique title, citations in parentheses, and a
“Works Cited” list (other format requirements are listed on your syllabus). The length should be 5-6pp. (approximately 1700-2200 words). Note: this a
strict page limit: please do NOT exceed 6 pages.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna declares “When a man is unattached and free, / his reason deep in knowledge, / acting only in sacrifice, / his action is
wholly dissolved” (4.23). Explain the relation between freedom, knowledge, and action “in sacrifice” in Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism. What are
the limits to these concepts? Consider also their flip sides: service, faith, and self-interested action. What is gained by sacrifice in each tradition?
Sample Solution