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    Just War and Hinduism

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    Ananya Das
    Hinduism developed just war principles known as Dharma Yuddha, which allowed wars fought according to rules but prohibited deceptive means. Rules included only fighting equal opponents like kings, treating prisoners humanely, and not fighting at night. The objective was to minimize war's impact and make it as humane as possible. While India could not influence international law in the 1950s as it recovered from colonial rule, its leaders followed Western principles. Adopting some Hindu principles could make warfare more ethical, such as only equal opponents fighting. Understanding India's traditional Hindu warfare models may provide insights into its future military path.

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    Just War and Hinduism

    Uploaded by

    Ananya Das
    44 views7 pages
    Hinduism developed just war principles known as Dharma Yuddha, which allowed wars fought according to rules but prohibited deceptive means. Rules included only fighting equal opponents like kings, treating prisoners humanely, and not fighting at night. The objective was to minimize war's impact and make it as humane as possible. While India could not influence international law in the 1950s as it recovered from colonial rule, its leaders followed Western principles. Adopting some Hindu principles could make warfare more ethical, such as only equal opponents fighting. Understanding India's traditional Hindu warfare models may provide insights into its future military path.

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    Just war and hinduism

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    Hinduism developed just war principles known as Dharma Yuddha, which allowed wars fought according to rules but prohibited deceptive means. Rules included only fighting equal opponents like kings, treating prisoners humanely, and not fighting at night. The objective was to minimize war's impact and make it as humane as possible. While India could not influence international law in the 1950s as it recovered from colonial rule, its leaders followed Western principles. Adopting some Hindu principles could make warfare more ethical, such as only equal opponents fighting. Understanding India's traditional Hindu warfare models may provide insights into its future military path.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    44 views7 pages

    Just War and Hinduism

    Uploaded by

    Ananya Das
    Hinduism developed just war principles known as Dharma Yuddha, which allowed wars fought according to rules but prohibited deceptive means. Rules included only fighting equal opponents like kings, treating prisoners humanely, and not fighting at night. The objective was to minimize war's impact and make it as humane as possible. While India could not influence international law in the 1950s as it recovered from colonial rule, its leaders followed Western principles. Adopting some Hindu principles could make warfare more ethical, such as only equal opponents fighting. Understanding India's traditional Hindu warfare models may provide insights into its future military path.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 7

    JUST WAR AND

    HINDUISM
    HINDU CODE OF WAR- DHARMA YUDDHA AND
    KUTA YUDDHA
    • Dharma means maintenance of peace and security through law and order within larger
    cosmic order.
    • Dharma is the law of righteousness regulating individuals, family and community
    • It developed through Srutis, Smritis and the Epics namely Mahabharata and Ramayana
    • Wars fought according to the rules of war were called Dharma Yuddha also known as just
    war
    • Wars fought with deceptive means, crafty methods, and using lethal and deadly weapons
    were described as Kuta Yuddha
    • Hindu concept of right and wrong- four vedas, Dharmasastras, 108 Upanishads, 18 Puranas,
    100 Up-Puranas and Smritis
    • War was fought against evil characters of the day. Eg- Rama, Hindu King fighting against
    Ravana; Panadavas fighting against Kauravas to restore dharma and justice
    • Gita- Lord Krishna has said that a Kshatriya should always fight war on religious principles
    • Early Hinduism- war was never fought to spread Hindu
    • 4 techniques- Sama (Conciliation), Dana (placating by gifts), Bheda (Dissension threat) and
    Danda (force)
    • Rajasuya ceremony- Chakrabarti Maharaj
    RULES TO BE OBSERVED IN BATTLEFIELD

    • Manusmriti describes the rules of battlefield


    • Rules- 1. Poisoned or barbed arrows should not be used
    2. One who surrenders should not be killed, but he can be captured as a prisoner of war
    3. A King should fight with a king only
    4. Prisoners of war should be treated humanely
    5. Fighting should not take place at night
    • Manusmriti also lays down the duties to be followed by the King after the war.
    • Objective of Hindu laws-
    1. Minimize the impact of war
    2. Make war as humane as possible
    3. Fair play on battlefield
    INFLUENCE OF HINDU LAWS OF WAR ON
    MODERN WARFARE
    • 1950s- India was just recovering from colonial exploitation
    • It was not possible for India to influence the international rules of warfare.
    • Indian leaders started following the western principles of governance
    • The world would be a better place to live in if Hindu law of warfare are followed
    • Eg – war should take place among equals- Gulf War
    • Recent wars indicate that international law of war has still to be developed to a great extent to
    achieve the objectives of the international community. The world would benefit if it incorporate
    more humane Hindu laws
    CONCLUSION

    • No doubt, modern international rules on warfare have religious element in them though
    Hindu laws of warfare are missing
    • Given the power and influence of India in today’s global world, it is interesting to see
    how much can India contribute in formation of rules of war
    • It would be wise to learn about India’s traditional models of Hindu warfare to provide
    prescient understanding of the possibilities of India’s future military path in the 21 st
    century.

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