Hegarty, James  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4769-2449
2023.
Some moral tasting notes on the Udyogaparvan of the Mahābhārata.
Balkaran, Raj and Taylor, McComas, eds.
Visions and Revisions of Ancient Indian Narrative: Studies in the Sanskrit Epics and Puranas,
Australian National University Press,
pp. 197-226.
(10.22459/VRSN.2023.08)
|
Preview |
PDF
- Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (509kB) | Preview |
Abstract
This chapter explores the ways in which moral decisions are taken by people in positions of power and influence in the Sanskrit Mahābhārata, which I characterize as acts of public reason. It focuses on the moral content of the courtly debates contained in the Mahābhārata, which are so central to the narrative progression of the text. The paper pursues a universalist line of enquiry, which considers the moral foundations of the back and forth of negotiations in the Udyogaparvan of the Mahābhārata (its fifth book). This universalist approach develops after the work of the evolutionary psychologist and theorist of religion and politics, Jonathan Haidt. I demonstrate the utility of his approach to the analysis of the Mahābhārata as a globally significant text.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion D History General and Old World > DS Asia P Language and Literature > PI Oriental languages and literatures |
| Publisher: | Australian National University Press |
| ISBN: | 9781760465902 |
| Related URLs: | |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 12 February 2026 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Feb 2026 10:57 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/132814 |
Actions (repository staff only)
 |
Edit Item |
Dimensions
Dimensions