Śraddhā: Construct Definition from the Bhagavad-Gītā

Abstract

In this article, the construct of śraddhā which is derived from a sacred Hindu text, the Bhagavad-Gītā is explicated. The analysis of text resulted in nine themes, and many behavioural outcomes of śraddhā such as not finding faults in others. Jñāna or knowledge is seen as mediating between śraddhā and mokṣa or liberation. This relationship is moderated by tatparaḥ (or eager engagement in the spiritual practice one has chosen) and saṃyatendriyaḥ (or practicing self-restraint). Śraddhā is considered as one of the highest virtues. It is a gift of God. It always bears fruits which carry over to the next life. The highest quality of śraddhā is that of a devotee. From interpersonal perspective, śraddhā is an emotion one has for another person, a deity, God or śāstra (scriptural text or instructions in such texts that guide human behaviour). Śraddhā reflects the basic nature of people. Absence of śraddhā causes all efforts to go in vain. The nine themes that are discussed present a thick description of this indigenous construct and open avenues for future research.

Building Cultural Bridges Between China and India

“…The Indians have the concepts of yama and niyama (see Bhawuk, 2019b for elaboration) which are the foundation for all paths of practice. Bhawuk (2020) showed that 14 of the 26 virtues called daivika sampadas fall in the category of tapas. 7 The overlap of these 14 daivika sampadas with tapas indicates that tapas is a fundamental daivika sampada.…”

vAde vAde jAyate tattvabodhaH: Toward epistemic harmony through dialogue

“…There is a need to build a strong base of Indigenous knowledge for global psychology (Marsella, 1998) to prevent othering. Toward this end, I have employed different methods (e.g., historical analysis, case analysis, auto-ethnography, lexical analysis, literary analysis, bridging life-world and scientific world, building models from scriptures; see Bhawuk, 2020, for references) to identify and develop Indigenous constructs like manas, buddhi, ahaGkAra, Atman, cit or consciousness, lokasaGgraha, adhyAtma or spirituality, lajjA (Bhawuk, 2017), prem or love, and zraddhA (Bhawuk, 2020). I have also developed models of self, models of personal harmony, and a spirituality-based theory of creativity (Bhawuk, 2011).…”

“…When an Indigenous psychologist does research on Indigenous constructs and models, the from and for is integrated with the about, resolving an issue raised by Held (2020). For example, when I presented the construct of zraddhA from the bhagavadgItA (Bhawuk, 2020), the construct is not only about Indians but also from India and for Indians. To erase the effect of colonization on Indigenous cultural knowledge systems, it is critical for Indigenous psychologists to study constructs from their own cultures.…”