Amity Global Business SchoolAhmedabad

Ethical Lessons from MythologyETHICS IN WAR-Excerpts from;• The Mahabharata •The Illiad

Overview: Mahabharata

• An ancient Indian Epic • Narrates a war at the crack

of the present yuga or “era” according to the Hindu upanishads.

• This presentation covers the great ethical values of a great warrior- Karna.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

The Mahabharata

Karna’s-Ethical Move

• Karna was the 6th brother of the Pandavas- Arjun, Bheem, Yudhishthir, Nakul and Sahdev.

• Born to Kunti - Raised by a charioteer

• Was always underestimated.• Was denied at many

competition-‘Swayamwara’ because of his lower caste.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

Draupadi’s Swayamwara

Karna’s-Ethical Move• Duryodhana offered him to

compete from Kauravas.• He was made Duryodhana’s

biggest aide and confidant.• Fought valiantly from the

Kauravas’ ,for his friend Duryodhana at ‘Kurukshetra’.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

Duryodhana awarded Karna -The Prince of ‘Anga’

Karna’s-Ethical Move• Kunti approached him

unashamedly and appealed him emotionally for not fighting against his own brothers.

• An Ethical Concern- This revelation placed Karna in a big dilemma.

• Karna however made a surprising move and told Kunti that he would under no circumstances betray Duryodhana.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

Meeting of Kunti and Karna

Karna’s-Ethical Move• This was a true display of

ethics in war on Karna’s part.• Had he sided his blood-

brothers instead, no-one would have raised a finger at him.

• Even so, he did the ethical thing, which was to honour his commitment to Duryodhana.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

THE ILLIAD

Overview- The Illiad• An epic narrating the mythical

Trojan War, written by Homer.• The war was waged by the

Greeks on Troy, when the young prince Paris kidnapped the Greek King Menelaus’ wife Helen.

• Achilles, a great warrior, who fought for glory, had sided Greece in the Trojan War.

• The war lasted 10 years and at one point in the war, Achilles dueled Hector to death.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

Overview- The Illiad• Hector was King Priam’s elder

son, and Paris’ elder brother.• Achilles’ challenged Hector to

duel, and won the personal battle.

• After Hector died, Achilles tied the warrior's body to a chariot and dragged the body around Troy & the tomb of his friend Patroclus.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

The War between Achilles & Hector

Overview- The Illiad• Achilles' fury and vengeance

were finally satisfied• He left Hector's body on the

ground to be devoured by dogs and birds of prey.

• He wanted the King to hurt as badly as he had hurt when his friend Patroclus had died.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

Achilles dragging Hectors body

Overview- The Illiad• King Priam of Troy visited the

enemy camp that night, and pleaded before Achilles, that he return Hector’s corpse.

• At first Achilles denied the request flat out, but when King Priam begged repeatedly, Achilles showed true ethics.

• He got Hector’s body cleansed, anointed and wrapped in linen, and sent it on its way to Troy.

• This was a true display of ethics in war.

E t h i c a l L e s s o n s

o War is the dark side of humanity, yet there are reflections of basic human ethics even in them.

o A clear idea of which we could draw from The Illiad and The Mahabharata episodes.

Presented by:Suhanee BakeriSargam SaxenaKhushali Parikh