CBC Ideas

Jagat · 04-13-2002, 08:26 PM

For those of you who are capable of catching CBC, on Real Audio or otherwise, I heartily recommend keeping an eye out for the many very high quality programs aired on .

I just caught the last part of a series on Simone Weil, a thinker I have often admired. The five-part series ended with a citation of the two birds on a tree verse from the Upanishads.

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ENLIGHTENED BY LOVE: THE THOUGHT OF SIMONE WEIL

Simone Weil died in obscurity in London in 1943. She was just 34. Until then, her reputation had rested mainly on her involvement in left-wing politics in France during the 1930s. Then, after the war, she was discovered. In France, Albert Camus oversaw the posthumous publication of many of her writings. T.S. Eliot introduced her to English readers, with the claim that she possessed "a genius akin to sainthood." A lot of attention was focused on Weil's extreme personality and her extraordinary life. Now, scholars and readers are paying attention to the enduring significance of her political and religious thought. IDEAS producer David Cayley explores Weil's fusion of politics and mysticism as a philosophy for our time.

Coming up on Wednesday, April 17 and 24

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BHAGAVAD GITA, Part One

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the world's classic religious texts. Revered by Hindus and an inspiration for thinkers from Gandhi to Thoreau, it is a meditation on how we should live our lives; how and when to act; for what purpose, and how to let go. At its heart, the Gita guides us to embrace our worldly responsibilities as one of many paths to the Divine. Piali Roy traces the unfolding of the Gita in Hindu culture and beyond. Part Two continues on April 24.

Jagat · 04-17-2002, 05:23 PM

It's on right now, and excellent.

Jagat · 04-29-2002, 02:48 PM

Just thought I'd say that I caught the Bhagavad-gita programs by Pyali Roy, with Arvind Sharma, T. S. Rukmani, Vasudha Narayanan and Steven Mitchell, whose translation was used.

I thought the program was well-organized, touching on nearly every issue of importance in the Gita, at least for an introductory program. I was amazed at how much there is in the Gita, which after all, is only 700 verses long.

It was nicely done by Pyali Roy, who made it clear that her interaction with the Gita was part of a personal search and her questions were answered in a personal way by people who were obviously her teachers. I enjoyed hearing Dr. Rukmani correcting her misunderstandings in a motherly tone.

Arvindji in his usual pithy way, said, "If you asked the Hindu 'man on the street' in the 8th century, 'What is the meaning of the Gita?' he would have answered, 'Jnana.' If you asked someone in Tamil Nadu in the 12th century, he would have immediately answered, 'Bhakti.' But if you go on the streets of Delhi or Bombay today and ask what is the purport of the Bhagavad-gita, they would overwhelmingly answer, 'Karma-yoga.'"

The series ended with Arvind Sharma saying that from however we read the Gita, we are sure to get the message that, "Whatever situation we happen to be in, that situation can be used as the starting point for our spiritual life."

Though bhakti was not given its due, it was pleasant to hear such an extensive treatment given to the Gita on public radio. It's too bad most of you missed it!

Jagat