The problem of justice and the duty of a warrior in the interpretation of the Bhagavad-Gita
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21847/2411-3093.2025.721Keywords:
Russian-Ukrainian war, Arjuna, Bhagavad-Gita, ISKCON, karma, Krishna, KurukshetraAbstract
The article examines the problem of justice and the duty of the warrior in the interpretation of the "Bhagavad-Gita" - a sacred text that is part of the Indian epic "Mahabharata." Particular attention is given to issues related to life, death, and the fulfillment of duty, i.e., following one's dharma, which should ultimately lead to spiritual perfection and liberation from samsara (the cycle of birth and death). The central element of the "Bhagavad Gita" is the discussion of the problems of war and peace, presented through the dialogue between Prince Arjuna and the god Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The authors of the article analyze the philosophical reflections presented in the "Bhagavad-Gita" on how a person can find peace and satisfaction in a world full of conflicts by following true yoga.
The article points out that the "Bhagavad Gita" also draws attention to the moral aspects of war, emphasizing the importance of a just struggle. Krishna teaches that the struggle must be just and that the sacrifices of war should not be in vain. Krishna explains to Arjuna that fighting is not an immoral act if it is done in accordance with the duty (dharma) of a warrior. The duty of a warrior is to protect truth and righteousness, even if it requires participating in battle. Krishna emphasizes that war should be the result of higher goals, such as restoring justice and order, and not for personal ambitions, profit, or revenge.
The article emphasizes that the war in the "Bhagavad-Gita" is viewed as a necessary part of the universal process, in which it is important for everyone to impeccably fulfill their duty, following their dharma, without attachment to the results of their actions, doing everything as an offering to God. The article emphasizes that the war in the "Bhagavad Gita" is a multifaceted symbol that encompasses not only the external physical battle but also the internal struggle of each person for self-awareness, true understanding of their dharma, and spiritual liberation. The publication also conveys the idea that in the context of the "Bhagavad-Gita," war represents not just a physical conflict, but a symbol of spiritual struggle. The external conflict is merely a reflection of the internal, spiritual one. The entire "Bhagavad Gita" can be perceived as an allegory of a person's struggle with their own passions, attachments, illusions, and delusions.
The article draws parallels between the teachings of the "Bhagavad Gita" and the issues of the contemporary Russian-Ukrainian war. The Russian-Ukrainian war is examined in the context of the "Bhagavad Gita" through several key concepts of this classic Indian sacred text. Particular attention is drawn to the fact that in the "Bhagavad-Gita," special emphasis is placed on ethics, the fulfillment of duty (dharma), the struggle between good and evil, as well as the issue of inner conflict and the importance of spiritual choice, even in the most challenging situations.
Downloads
References
Bhaktivedanta, Swami Prabhupada (1986). Bhagavad-gita as It Is. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
Bhattacharjee, G. (2021). Karmayoga in Bhagavad Gita and Contemporary Time, Advances in Sciences and Humanities, 7 (4), 152-160. http://dx.doi.org/10.11648/j.ash.20210704.16
Clercq, E. De (2017). In Defence of War: The Bhagavad Gita”, in D. Praet (Ed.), Philosophy of War and Peace. (pp. 15-22). http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8545938
Framarin, C.G. (2006). The desire you are required to get rid of: a functionalist analysis of desire in the Bhagavadgita. Philosophy East and West, 56(4), 604-617.
Gandhi, Mahatma. (1999). The Collected Works. 98 volumes. New Delhi. XXXVII. https://www.gandhiserve.net/about-mahatma-gandhi/collected-works-of-mahatma-gandhi/098-index-of-subjects/
Gupta, B. (2006). Bhagavad Gita as duty and virtue eth-ics. Some reflections. Journal of Religious Ethics, 373–395.
Hijiya, J. A. (2000). The Gita of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 144 (2), 123-167.
Jacobs, A. (2003). The Bhagavad Gita. New York.
Johnson, K.A. (2007). The social construction of emo-tions in the Bhagavad Gita. Journal of Religious Eth-ics, 655-679.
Long, J. D. (2009). War and Non-Violence in The Bhagavadgita https://www.scribd.com/document/325691101/War-and-Non-Violence-in-the-Bhagavadgita-2009.
Kipling, Rudyard (1940). The Ballad of East and West. In: Rudyard Kipling’s Verse: Definitive Edition. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 234–238. Retrieved from https://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/content/ballad-east-and-west
Kosuta, M. (2020). Ethics of War and Ritual: The Bhagavad-Gita and Mahabharata as Test Cases, Journal of Military Ethics, 19 (3), 186–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/15027570.2020.1824578
Pillalamarri, A. (2014). 3 Political Lessons from the Mahabharat: An Ancient Epic’s Lessons for India Ring True Today. August 23. https://www.scribd.com/document/701574831/3-Political-Lessons-from-the-Mahabharat
Radhakrishnan, S. (2010). Introductory Essay (pp. 1-86). The Bhagavadgita. New Delhi.
Radhakrishnan, S. (1911). The Ethics of the Bhaga-vadgita and Kant. International Journal of Ethics, 21 (4), 465-475.
Sharma, A. (1979). Fate and Free Will in the Bhaga-vadgita. Religious Studies, 15 (4), 531-537.
Staiano-Daniels, Lucia. (2011). Illuminated Darkness, The Owl of Minerva, 43, 1-2, 75-99.
Tharu, Raj Kumar. (2021). The Pacifistic Reading of the Mahabharata, International Journal of Comparative Literature and Translation Studies, 8, (1), 180-188. https://doi.org/10.33329/ijelr.8.1.180
The Bhagavadgita. (2010). With an introductory essay, Sanskrit text, English translation and notes by S. Ra-dhakrishnan. New Delhi. 461 p.
Upadhyaya, K. N. (1969). The Bhagavad Gītā on War and Peace, Philosophy East and West, 19 (2), 159-169. https://www.scribd.com/document/248636125/The-Bhagavad-Gita-on-War-and-Peace
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Віталій Матвєєв, Ольга Добродум

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
1. Authors bear responsibility for the accuracy of facts, quotations, numbers and names used.
2. Manuscripts are not sent back.
3. The publisher does not always agree with the authors' opinion.
4. The authors reserve the right to authorship of the work and pass the first publication right of this work to the journal under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which allows others to freely distribute the published research with the obligatory reference to the authors of the original work and the first publication of the work in this journal.
5. The authors have the right to conclude separate supplement agreements that relate to non-exclusive work distribution in the form in which it has been published by the journal (for example, to upload the work to the online storage of the journal or publish it as part of a monograph), provided that the reference to the first publication of the work in this journal is included.