I'H1LO:-,Ol'HY, CULTUIU AN\) REU(;lON
The Collected ,Essays of Bimal Krishna Matilal
Ethics and Epics
Edited by
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I'H1LO:-,Ol'HY, CULTUIU AN\) REU(;lON
The Collected ,Essays of Bimal Krishna Matilal
Ethics and Epics
Edited by
Jonardon Ganeri
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VOLUME II Ii"
PART l. DHARMA, RATIONALITY AND
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MORAL DILEMMAS
2 3 4 5 6
Moral Dilemmas and Religious Dogmas Sri RamakrSI1a: Simplicity with Profundity Moral Dilemmas: Insights from Indian Epics Elusiveness and Ambiguity in Dharma-Ethics Dlwrma and Rationality Rationality. Dharma and the Pramana Theory PART II. EPICS A:'I(D ETHICS
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(aughl and ~illed f\.rsn~1 ;Idded Ihlll KIIUe Ihis Andha had grown up to be a terrible crealUre who Was almost lIni-i!lable, Having received a boon from Lord Brahmii he Went on killing all the creatures. He was in a way out to destroy all ~re :.ttllres. ;\llhougiJ Bal:ika was unaware of this fact, he was somehow able to ki!lthl~ nil creature, and thereby obtained his just reward, This storv SOUlltiS like the case of 'moral luck', The goodness of a good hllmanlif~ IS not always dependent on the things that the moral agent can control. There is 'externa Icontingency' or luck coming to the agent from the word which i.s Ilotllllderhi.s control. But this contingency cannot be totally elimll1ated. Sometimes such contingencies would generate moral dilemmas, for the agent. BalJka was a good person in his own modest wav, but external contingencies made his moral reward far greater than what he had dreamt of. By contrast Kausika had a projecI for life which included the covetable moral reward, heaven, but external contingencies intervened and Kausika lias faced with a situJtion in which he was forced to act. But, according to Krsna' s ethical system, he acted slupidly, and chose the alternative th;]t nllned his dream tolally. Krsna said that although Kausika wanted to do Ii is duty (dlwl'Irwkc7mll/z), he was unwise (aprl/uiita) and a fool Umldhil, Milf1cihhilrura, 8,49.32),
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Let us diSCUSS some details oithe MU/J(ih/](/mlll episoue. Krsna emphasized lhe i'actlhat ;t is very difflclilt bUI not Impossible lo ullJerstanJ the extremely subtle ways of d/wrl/w or duty, U!hOnlUlllcilll g,;rulI, ,\'[11-:."11111111 dlirDlll'U\,WII).'! He abu said tll:tt elen Bhl,sma or Vldura III KUlItl \\()llid have been able to re.sol\e the dilemll1:t jllr Arjun:1 Tu sum lll' Krsna's argument lt IS trut' that truth-tel/Ill" I, tile h!~hest \ IrIue hut that ./,·e Illltlg:lllll~ l'IICUIlI'lances 'iuch ~IS de.Slructloll (If 1l1IWl'ent 11\ t ' alld los.' \,1' ;ill 11"\\"S':"I1> UlIlk[ whlell t() kll;1 lie lila\' he ~I Jut\' I'\\,hele t~lllI1~ a lIe 11\;1\ be '" ~.lHld CIS "1['lIth" am] truth-telllll" 111' and .: t! lI v __ all h:J\e rt'tII:lIll ... d ",ell· integ rat ed, TIl!' ." eem" IU Ill;' a po"il ll't' :Ipprec l:Ltloli The ,":J llle poml rna~' be ne g:llively put ullllHellik!ihle and thereby giving support to u pernicious fo rm o f rda tll I... m . For undou btedl)' there seem 10 be prominent fami ly resembla nces a mong the sel of lerms listed a bove as possible tran slatio ns o f d/wl'llw in diffe renT Conte.>.lS. A nd if we believe Wi llgenstein. a nd are permitted Jl.-;o to I'~ ad him backw:rrds. this famil y re semblance would offer u.~ e no ug h g rounds for juslifYlll8 the use o r the same term for a l'arielY of dlfferenl items.
'Vhwma IS'. P.V . Kane writes in the beginning of his m onum e ntal \\or k. Hisr()n ()f fJlwrmaS(istra. 'one of those Sa ns krit words that defy :111 a llelllpls 1I1:l1l ex ac t rendering In En g lishoran y o ther To ngue' (1930. p. I j . Kane adds ;lllol her comment in Ihis connection: ' T ha t wo rd has pa:-.!>ed Ihrough ~e \'e ral v i c i ssi tudes ' flbid. ). A ltho u gh th is is gene rall y true Ill' mOl ny lmportant key rerm ') of Indian cultu re (kurma. Brahman, SIIJ!,,'UI'fI. '"."11/1. ell'). perhap:'~tllO V II I.' L, n"lId:,. B"I1 ).. lllu.:h"I ,dra Ch :.II\'p;I< ' h~ a ~ . I.' t,· l. I ~ ;11... " ", tot" I :.~ t' ll II nh " 1'1Ildl 0\ ... a lt Thl' tradiliOIl II"'" ... d l ~l·oll ... n('u ... It ha ... bIIIIY 10 th .. "Ill ..!! ,11"lier r hl'" I' .1 J!.1111 ,I IlIh U 1Jll", pII, rll rll ... fI !,!htl} "' 1\1[1h;I~l/eu \ nl.llIl.: 11:IIUI\ ' " I lilt' ,IJ/(II/IIII ~~~tt:1Il ~ 11.''' kJ tell ... rorh ,1\ \ ,H I"U '" h! \d ... \\'t' ;'::111 \ llIlIe' ... 11 ,ml\ \' hell il hur.bll." 111'11' Ihe "' IITI,I,·e . ,llllllhe milIeu gnl up 'll ... ~ ... \.·J, 111 In .l~II\ r .111 lI hll\llI ~' "'Pl~""'ltH1 0111 ... 11 1''':0111':111 Th,' Ir,ISJ ge. For hl.'re. as elsewhe re. Iht'. medi\l11\ i" aho p: trl 01 Ih ... rne-~ ... a£t.'. Robert Lingal ( 1973) has :o.:lid th:lt tlhonlla IS nOl irnp n sed bill prop os ed. E m phasi dol\ h,l\e n e.Il t:J ,I he,II1I1IUI g:m!en. · To Ihl". our BO'> tOIlI:m gra\ d~' It'p llt.:d .. ye .... \\ILI ,itould It .l l t' seen il when i\ \,; \ ~ left n n ly 10 (iod · ... lw lld Here I thlt)~ ( jll~1 ,'I 1I.111I!"\.· I~ put eX;KI1} ill hl~ ("II" ht.'r pi a .: ... J/lcr:trch~ 111.1\ IndeeJ h .. '11.11111:,1" III "oc ie-Iy. b ut when k!lln natur ... ,IlOilO:. il lll.l ;' nOl ht' ,I \en l' lell\ 'I; hl
;1/.1 '''11 '1 ::1!, ,g;lIlleJ ,~urrenc~ ,1I11ulI!,! pitt';). , or he l ' (11 1 1'>'~r1 I I Irm,l11. :l1l1ung " II:er ... h:t ... \