Fellow Seminar on “How Dharma Shapes Strategic Thought in the Mahabharata”

Executive Summary

The paper proposes a framework for analysing the idea of war through the prism of dharma. The paper co-relates the concept of dharma to the principles of righteousness, duty, responsibility or ethos. Dharma essentially aims to uphold prescribed norms of action and behaviour at the level of a state, society and an individual. Under the larger idea of Dharma is the concept of Yoga Kshema, which refers to prosperity and protection. The concept lays the key strategic framework for how states must be governed and protected. The two distinct elements through which this is achieved include war avoidance and war in the pursuit of dharma (Just War). The paper cites several quotes from key characters from Mahabharata including Lord Krishna, Bhishma and Yudhisthira rejecting the idea of war. The paper derives key instruments such as deterrence, stratagem and diplomacy for avoiding war.

Dharma justifies the use of force under exceptional circumstances or for a righteous cause which is referred to as Dharma Yudh. When war does become inevitable, victory becomes its ultimate objective. For this, there is an emphasis on preparation, capability development, use of stratagem and judicious application of force as the quintessential elements for ensuring victory in a war. The achievement of victory in a Dharma Yudh creates the necessary conditions for reinforcing or re-establishing the rule of law and the prevalence of governance based on the principles of dharma.

Detailed Report

Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy started the Seminar by introducing the External and Internal Discussants in the panel. He also spoke about the increasing relevance of Indian Strategic Culture. Amb. Chinoy invited Col. Chadha to give his presentation.

Col. Vivek Chadha began his presentation by highlighting that his paper has been written from a practitioner’s perspective rather than a theoretical perspective. He brought out that like Arthashastra, the Mahabharata too has two distinct elements to the text that includes the descriptive and prescriptive aspects. Col. Chadha stated that he deliberately chose to write the paper on the basis of the descriptive elements of Mahabharata. He described that the interpretation of the Mahabharata can differ from reader to reader as the epic acts like a reflection of one’s own unique thoughts and beliefs. He stated that his paper explores two key elements of the Mahabharata which include the concept of ‘Dharma’ and ‘Strategic Thought’. He also highlighted that the paper would focus on the conceptualisation and the idea of war as described in the Mahabharata. Col. Chadha informed the audience that his research was based on the analysis of the critical edition of the Mahabharata text translated by Bibek Debroy. He stated that this edition of Mahabharata has three different perspectives including the narrative, dharmic/ethical and philosophical perspective. He brought out that his paper exclusively focuses on the dharmic perceptive of the epic.

In his paper, the concept of dharma has been attributed to the principles of righteousness, duty, responsibility or ethos. He stated that Dharma essentially aims to uphold prescribed norms of action and behavior at the level of a state, society and an individual. He also described the meaning of dharma as differs according to context. It operates at the level of a state through Raja Dharma which is attributed to the virtues of a king. Dharma defines an individual’s roles, responsibility and duties for a society. In the case of soldiers, the guidance is provided through the Kshatriya Dharam that refers to the virtues of the warrior. Col. Chadha elucidated the key critical aspects of Mahabharata that his paper focuses on which are as follows:

Framework of Strategic Thought: Under the larger idea of Dharma is the concept of Yoga Kshema, which refers to prosperity and protection. The concepts essentially lay the key strategic framework on how states must be governed and protected. In Mahabharata two distinct elements of Dharma include War Avoidance and War for Dharma (Just War).

War Avoidance: Dharma lays enormous emphasis on war avoidance. The paper cites several quotes from key characters from Mahabharata including Lord Krishna, Bhishma and Yudhisthira who abhor the idea of war. For war avoidance, the Yoga Kshema advocates the use of instruments such as deterrence, stratagem and diplomacy. According to this concept, deterrence can be achieved through preparation for war and judicious use for force in self-defence and for warning the enemy against misadventures. Also, war can be avoided through Stratagem by employing deception and deceit and can be used as illustrated in Mahabharata through the examples of Jarasangha and Game Dice. On diplomacy Lord Krishna alludes to the concepts of Sama (Gentle Persuasion), Dana (Charitable Offering), Beda (Dividing the enemy) and Danda (Threat to use of force/Coercive Diplomacy).

Just War: Also, Dharma justifies the use of force under exceptional circumstances or for a righteous cause which is referred to as Dharma Yudh. These circumstances include when all instruments for avoiding war have failed and for upholding righteousness or dharma.

Ensuring Victory: Dharma lays emphasis on preparation, capability development, stratagem and force application as the quintessential elements for ensuring victory in a war. The Mahabharata cites evaluation of the adversary and identification of enemy’s weakness as the primary steps towards preparation for war. Forging alliances and appreciation of individual capability have been identified as the key steps towards building the capability of the military. Regarding the application of force, the Mahabharata advocates for the judicious use of force. It suggests, based upon the situation that minimum and proportionate force should be used. Also, demonstration of capability and deception tactics have been highlighted as the elements of effective force application.

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Rakesh Sharma began his observations on the paper by citing that the Pandavas won the Kurukshetra War by employing means of gross Adharma (Deceitful Tactics). He also illustrated the example of Prithviraj Chauhan who was an adherent follower of Dharma as a result of which he spared Muhammad Ghori after the first battle of Tarain. The sparing of the enemy eventually led to the defeat and death of Prithviraj Chauhan in the second battle of Tarain. Through this illustration, Gen. Sharma implied that the principle of warfare fundamentally contradicts the principles of Dharma. He opined that the definition of Dharma goes beyond just protection and prosperity and refers to the concept of good governance. He substantiated this with Hon’ble Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech in the parliament while presenting the budget in 2022. Gen. Sharma pointed out that the paper limits the definition of Dharama to only as the quest for righteousness. He recommended that the paper also explore the concept of Swadharma (Duties to Self) as the actions of many characters in Mahabharata are shaped by it. He pointed out that while Dharma talks about ensuring victory in war, in the present context the definition of victory itself has become very ambiguous. Also, Gen. Sharma recommended that the paper explore the concept of Just Peace for understanding Just War. He highlighted that the concept of deterrence as mentioned in the paper has also become less effective by citing examples like the Russian attack on Ukraine and attack on Israel by Hamas. Gen. Sharma concluded his observations by stating that deterrence is an instrument for the weak to say that they are not preparing for War.

Dr. Saurabh Mishra in his observations recommended that in the paper the link between the concepts of dharma and strategic thought must be further strengthened. He stated that the paper must explore to a limited extent the theoretical aspects of Mahabharata to make the arguments rigorous and robust. Dr. Mishra also brought out that nature can be regarded as a key element of the concept of Dharma, apart from the three aspects like righteousness, duty and responsibility. He also recommended that the author may consider rearranging the structure of the paper in a manner in which some of the assumptions made in the introduction can be placed in the conclusion. Dr. Mishra stated that the paper must also bring out the definitions of certain concepts like preparedness and capability development as presented in the text of Mahabharata. He also questioned why Danda (Threat to use of force) has been put within the ambit of diplomacy in the paper. Also, he recommended substantiating the avoidance of war principle in Mahabharata, and inclusion of more details in the paper apart from the conversations between the key characters. Dr. Mishra stated that the paper requires contemporary parameters to test the strategic formulations of Mahabharata. He ended his observations with a suggestion that the paper must establish the link between the strategic thought espoused in Mahabharata with contemporary times.

Dr. Adil Rasheed began his discussion by reaffirming Dr. Mishra’s recommendation that the concept of Dharma can be explained more comprehensively and holistically in the paper. He suggested that the paper should also look into the moral objectives of war, which is amply illustrated in the text of Mahabharata. He highlighted that Krishna’s Dharma in the Mahabharata is vedantic and brings out solutions that are out of the box. Dr. Rasheed commended the paper for presenting in detail the concepts of jus in bello and jus ad bellum in the context of Mahabharata. He suggested that the author could incorporate in his paper the rules of engagement as explained in the Mahabharata.

Dr. Ashok K. Behuria pointed out that the paper can also explore how strategic thought has shaped Dharma in Mahabharata. He suggested that the paper can also focus upon the larger societal ecosystem which has influenced events in Mahabharata. Dr. Behuria stated that it is important to ascertain whether there were civilian casualties involved in the Kurukshetra war through the analysis of the Mahabharata text. He recommended that the author should elaborate on the aspects of alliance building in Mahabharata that has been very briefly mentioned in the paper. Dr. Behuria concluded his observations by saying that the analysis of Dharma and Strategic Thought from Mahabharata should not only be restricted to the final Kurukshetra war but also the many smaller wars that preceded, within the epic.

Ambassador Sujan R. Chinoy during his observations raised a question about whether the paper draws any distinction between the concepts of strategic thought and strategic culture. He stated that while strategic culture is broad-based, strategic thought refers to certain key assumptions about security and polity. In this context, Amb. Chinoy encouraged scholars to conduct research on whether civilisational states like India and China are influenced by strategic culture or strategic thought. He brought out that in India, the study of India’s strategic culture only attained prominence in the Twentieth Century. In this context, Amb. Chinoy questioned why India’s rich strategic heritage remained sidelined in the intervening centuries. He also suggested that Col. Chadha consider examining the similarities between the Mandala system mentioned in the Arthashastra and contemporary spheres of influence in geopolitics. Amb. Chinoy concluded his remarks by stating that territorial expansionism remains a constant trait of state behaviour from the era of the Mahabharata to the present times.

The Seminar came to a close after Col. Chadha addressed the Discussant’s queries and an insightful Q&A Session.

Key Takeaways -

In the Mahabharata Under the larger idea of Dharma is the concept of Yoga Kshema, which refers to prosperity and protection. The concepts essentially lay the key strategic framework on how states must be governed and protected.

The two distinct elements of Dharma include War Avoidance and War for Dharma (Just War).

Dharma justifies the use of force under exceptional circumstances or for a righteous cause which is referred to as Dharma Yudh.

Dharma lays emphasis on preparation, capability development, stratagem and force application as the quintessential elements for ensuring victory in a war.

The Mahabharata cites evaluation of the adversary and identification of enemy’s weakness as the primary steps towards preparation for war.

Regarding the application of force, the Mahabharata advocates for the judicious use of force.

Report prepared by Dr. R. Vignesh, Research Analyst, Military Affairs Centre, MP-IDSA.

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