Exploring the Constructs of Derrida’s Religiosity in the Teachings of the Gita: A Comparative Study (Published)
The questions on religion and God have always been perplexing and they have remained as issues in academia. This has become more burning issue since Derrida’s introduction of deconstruction to academia in 1960s as both Derrida’s personality and deconstruction remained controversial regarding these issues. So in this paper I have reviewed the studies on Derrida and deconstruction in relation to religion and God with the purpose to find out the constructs to identify Derrida’s religiosity and its similarities with the teachings of the Gita. Then I have employed these constructs to explore the teachings of the Gita as a comparative study and identified that the constructs of Derrida’s religiosity go in the line with the teachings of the Gita. Thus both of them suggest the deconstructive understanding of religion and God; they identify religion as the pursuit of the truth and justice and God as the undeconstructible, a sacred reality; they are comprehensive and inclusive of all as they are guided by a quasi-transcendental logic and deconstructive belief. Thus, this study has made a significant foundation for the study of postmodern spirituality and its enhancement for promoting interspirituality and sustainable peace in the world.
Keywords: Derrida, Derrida's Religiosity, God, Postmodern Spirituality, Religion., Teachings of the Gita, deconstruction, interspirituality