The Influence of Indian Literary-Philosophical and Religious Works on the Eastern Literature

Abstract

The religious and philosophical elements expressed in ancient Indian literature have had great influences on world literature. One notable example is the ancient Indian piece, "Panchatantra". This magnificent written work ofworld literature has become one of the most famous and influential works in the development of the European and Asian story genre. The Indian masterpiece has also influenced the Arabic-American immigration writer, Kahlil Gibran. Thus, the impress of Indian scripturecan be seen in many of Gibran’s works such as "The Prophet". The philosophical and religious teachings of the "Bhagavad Gita" have had an impactful role in M. Naimy’s development as an Arabic immigration writer. Mikhail Naimy, a poet, writer and a literary critic, was one of the prominent representatives of the early 21st century Arab-American immigrant literature. When conveying the idea of wholeness and unity between an individual soul and God in his work, “The Book of Mirdad”, the author used different religious and philosophical sources including the ancient Indian scripture Bhagavat-Gita. The concepts such as an eternal soul, “I”, a God’s messenger are very similar in “The Book of Mirdad” and the Indian religious-philosophical teachings. M.Naimy has accented the importance of issues that reflect many of the ancient Indian beliefs expressed in the "Bhagavad Gita" including the material sides of world and divinity, vision, soul, and spirit. The ancient Indian beliefs of "The People are Raised to the God’s level” are distinctively reflected by M. Naimy in his novel "The Book of Mirdad".