No easy rules in the Indian epic Mahabharata
When Gurcharan Das — newspaper columnist, playwright, novelist — turned 50, he quit his job as the head of the Indian arm of a multinational company to become a full-time writer. In 2002, he went to the University of Chicago to devote himself to studying Indian classics in Sanskrit.
When Gurcharan Das — newspaper columnist, playwright, novelist — turned 50, he quit his job as the head of the Indian arm of a multinational company to become a full-time writer. In 2002, he went to the University of Chicago to devote himself to studying Indian classics in Sanskrit. There he was increasingly drawn to the epic Mahabharata and what it said about the human condition. His latest book The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma explores what the epic says about dharma, in all its varied meanings, and its relevance today.
Edited interview excerpts:
You began reading the Mahabharat to find out the meaning of "dharma," or how to conduct one’s life. Were you successful in your quest?
Mahabharat is not a self-help book, and my book will not fall in that category either. The epic is obsessed with dharma (but) nobody looks to God to answer the question — Why be good? The Mahabharat asks at one point — “Where does dharma come from? Where does the authority of dharma emerge from?” And people say, “Maybe it’s the Vedas. But hang on—the Vedas contradict each other too. So let’s ask the wise brahmins. But wise brahmins are fighting with each other. So maybe we have to depend on ourselves.” So the quest for dharma is a rational quest. Mahabharat seems to suggest that there are no easy rules. Nevertheless, it leaves you with ideals. More>>
