Last Wednesday, October 7th, at the Ponsacco Head Office of Centro Studi Bhaktivedanta, Marco Ferrini held the second lesson of the cycle: “Dante’s journey and Bhagavad-Gita;  the Psychological experience of Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise for the contemporary man.”

            The lesson was dedicated to the first part of the Divine Comedy and compared the concept of inferno described by Dante with the Hindu-Vedic literature, more specifically Bhagavad-Gita.

Neither through the Comedy nor through Bhagavad-Gita it is possible to reach the “empyreal heaven” or the dimension of Vaikuntha without transformation or, as the alchemists say, purification of the conscience.  In Inferno, attachments are dominant, so are conflicts, closures, lack of forgiveness and compassion, and lack of taking responsibility for ones mistakes.  The lowest planets are characterized by darkness, by a sky with no stars, a dull and gloomy atmosphere, where a word means noise, where any sound screeches, where there is no harmony.  The infernal dimensions described in the Commedia and in Bhagavad-Gita are not mythical.  The two works help us recognizing these dimensions in and out ourselves which is the first and indispensable step to transform ourselves and overcome them.

            Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise are not in fact fixed locations but inner dimensions of life.  If conscience transforms itself, consequently one’s existential collocation is modified.  If we dedicate ourselves to evolutionary practices, such as dedicating ourselves to knowledge and virtues, we can revive in a better life here and now.  Instead, if we fall under the rules of those tendencies that are mostly degrading for our personality, we could die without ever knowing true life.

            Some of these dimensions were examined through suggestive lectures and comments of excerpts from the Comedy and Bhagavad-Gita.

            The fight between Michael’s angels and those angels lead by Lucifer remind the fight between the devas led by Indra and the asuras led by Vritra.

            The three beasts that hampered Dante’s journey when he desired to climb the “nice hill” were compared to the three doors of Inferno described in Bhagavad-Gita.  Cupidity (kama:  the variegated skin of that wild beast), anger (krodha:  the lion with head uplifted and with ravenous hunger) and greed (lobha:  the wolf that after food is hungrier than before).

            Following are some of the characters of the Comedy who were analyzed in a prospective of dialogue between Bhagavad-Gita and Dante’s work.

            Paolo and Francesca, who represented the corrupted love of lovers that have betrayed the essence of love.

            The grotesque character of Ciacco in the round of gluttons.

            The meeting with Filippo Argenti by the city of Dite.  He was one of the most violent and dramatic characters of Inferno.

Ulysses who, without a guide, performed an insane and desperate journey and led his men to their tragic death.

The next lesson of the course which will take place this evening at 8.30 pm at the Head Office of Centro Studi Bhaktivedenta in Ponsacco, will continue with the in-depth explanation of other characters and emblematic conscience levels described in Dante’s Inferno and in Bhagavad-Gita to achieve the light of consciousness from darkness together with Dante and Arjuna.