Himsa and Ahimsa in the Bhagavad Gita

Authors

  • Tilak Bahadur Khatri Patan Multiple Campus, TU, Patandhoka, Lalitpur, Nepal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/cognition.v2i1.55598

Keywords:

Himsa, ahimsa, imperfect society, self-defense, just war, Godlike person, internal duel

Abstract

This research article deals with the question of himsa and ahimsa mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. The study has its relevance to understand the Gita’s teaching on himsa and ahimsa. The research problem is that whether the Gita advocates himsa or ahimsa. The research approach (methodology) adopted for this study is the textual analysis of the Gita’s related verses along with the review-based analysis of the views on himsa and ahimsa expressed by the Gita’s commentators Bankim Chandra Chattopdyaya, Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi and Aurobindo Ghosh. The study reveals that the Gita talks about ahimsa while mentioning the good traits of a Godlike person but the text basically focuses on the justified himsa as essential and obligatory in dealing with the evil persons of the imperfect human society.

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Author Biography

Tilak Bahadur Khatri, Patan Multiple Campus, TU, Patandhoka, Lalitpur, Nepal

Asst. Professor of English

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Published

2019-10-30

How to Cite

Khatri, T. B. (2019). Himsa and Ahimsa in the Bhagavad Gita. Cognition, 2(1), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.3126/cognition.v2i1.55598

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Section

Articles