Not at all. 

What makes a path exclusivist is its claim that it alone has exclusive rights to God. What makes an exclusivist path bad is its assertion that other paths are not just wrong, but also evil — they are creations of the anti-god to take people away from the one true God. What makes an exclusivist path worse is its vision that the denigration and desecration of these other paths is not just a moral good, but a sacred obligation for the glory of the one true God. What makes an exclusivist path the worst is its theological justification for aggressive intolerance and even wholesale violence in the name of religion and God. 

Krishna’s Gita message contains none of this incendiary theological baggage. Adopting a stunningly inclusive approach, Krishna:

  1. Declares various other conceptions of divinity to be valid on the long journey of all souls toward spiritual evolution (09.15)
  2. Accepts various paths as suitable for seekers at different degrees of spiritual evolution (17.04)
  3. Discourages the disturbing of those who are less spiritually informed or inclined — and who therefore prefer less spiritually ambitious paths (03.26)
  4. Appreciates as wise those who seek spiritual reality, though they chose a path different from, even opposite to, the one he recommends (18.03)
  5. Acknowledges that those with non-devotional approaches or non-personal conceptions of divinity may also reach the ultimate reality in a manifestation suitable for them (12.05, 18.55)
  6. Sets up a system of surrogate divinities, known as devatas, who are cosmic administrators and can receive worship from those who aren’t ready to worship him (03.11-13). 
  7. Provides faith to those who gravitate toward the worship of devatas (07.21).  
  8. Empowers the devatas to fulfill the prayers of their worshipers (07.22).

How can a divinity who does all this ever be considered exclusivist?  

One-sentence summary:

Krishna’s inclusive approach to various conceptions and approaches to ultimate reality demonstrate that his teachings are the opposite of exclusivist. 

Think it over:

  • What are the characteristics of an exclusivist path?
  • How is Krishna’s message not exclusivist? 
  • Which aspect of Krishna’s inclusivist approach speaks the most to you?

***

03.11: The demigods, being pleased by sacrifices, will also please you, and thus, by cooperation between men and demigods, prosperity will reign for all.

Are Krishna’s Gita teachings exclusivist?

To know more about this verse, please click on the image