Publication: Ethics of War and Ritual: The Bhagavad-Gita and Mahabharata as Test Cases
Issued Date
2020-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
15027589
15027570
15027570
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2-s2.0-85091346978
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Mahidol University
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Military Ethics. (2020)
Suggested Citation
Matthew Kosuta Ethics of War and Ritual: The Bhagavad-Gita and Mahabharata as Test Cases. Journal of Military Ethics. (2020). doi:10.1080/15027570.2020.1824578 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/58932
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Title
Ethics of War and Ritual: The Bhagavad-Gita and Mahabharata as Test Cases
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Abstract
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This article uses paradigms developed in the ethics of war debate, primarily jus in bello (just actions in war), and academic theories developed for the study of religion: the dialectic of the sacred and profane, and ritual studies–primarily sacrifice, festivals, and rites of passage–to analyze the Bhagavad-Gita and the sections of the Mahabharata that tell the story of the Kurukshetra War. 1 The article focuses attention on the fact that along with Krishna preaching Hindu dharma (religious socio-ethical duties) in the Bhagavad-Gita, a militarist ethic is forcefully put forth within Kshatriya dharma. The objective is to bring out salient points on human behavior expressed by combatants in war through their religious ethics and religious rituals. While some commentary is offered on the meaning of the teachings presented in these texts, the main goal is examining human behavior not textual meaning. The article builds on studies that show religious ritual as a powerful force in inculcating ethics and behavior in the pursuit of war. The article comments on religion and war in general in order to advance the understanding of human religious expression and behavior in regard to war.