The Difficulty of Being Good

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The Difficulty of Being Good
The Difficulty Of Being Good.jpeg
Cover of book
Author Gurcharan Das
Country India
Language Indian English
SubjectEthics and morality
PublishedYes
PublisherPenguin Random House
Media typePrint, Ebook

The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma is a book written by Indian author Gurcharan Das and published by Penguin Random House. [1] The book is centrally focused on why to be good in our day to day, private, and public life and the essence of Dharma, a key concept in Indian philosophy for righteousness, with reference to Indian epic Mahabharata. [2] [3]

Contents

Synopsis

Book uses the examples from Hindu Epic, Mahabharata, to illustrate and demonstrate that how becoming good is difficult for an ordinary man. Book simplifies the lessons from the epic in various chapters and uses characters like Yudhisthira, Krishna, Arjuna and Karna to explain the importance of Dharma i.e. righteousness.

Reception

The book was widely welcomed by several Indologists, columnists, commentators and several businessmen. Sanjaya Baru, writing for Outlook India had commented that the book reflects a new Gurcharan Das who is reflective, humane, deeply spiritual and secular—a renaissance man. [1] According to him, Gurcharan voiced our(Indian's) despair about inequities and the amorality of public life and the books echoed voices for new India. Further, he wrote:

Gurcharan offers us a secular reading of a great epic. The underlying materialism of its spiritual world is also illustrated. [1]

Meghnad Desai, British labour politician, writing for Indian Express had asserted that Das did not retell the story as has often been done and instead, he took episodes and characters who pose moral and ethical questions. [4] Desai also criticised Indian university system for not having good library for studying Sanskrit, in the context that author had to go Chicago for an year to study Sanskrit to prepare this book. [4] A K Bhattacharya had explained the book as Gurcharan Das’ quest for the true meaning of Dharma, as expounded in Mahabharata. [5] In the column for Business Standard, Bhattacharya wrote:

So, Krishna, as Das has argued in a different context, was using “evil” to fight “evil”. The question is: Was that really evil and whether it was not Dharma? Debating the relevance or irrelevance of Dharma in such a battle indeed became a little meaningless. There is little doubt that Mahabharata as an epic raises intricate issues pertaining to the relevance of human action in a given role and in the context of pre-ordained fate. The debate over Dharma is also relevant. But Das would have done better if he had narrated the story of Mahabharata in all its details, instead of grappling with the ideas of Dharma or Nishkama Karma Yoga. [5]

N Chandra Mohan, for Hindustan Times , wrote that Das certainly thinks that a healthy dose of Dharma may restore trust in the system. Additionally, he wrote that this book will certainly make Mahabharata accessible to a whole new generation. [6]

Translation

Book was translated in Hindi as Acchai Ki Kathinai and was published by Penguin Random House. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dharma</span> Key concept in Indian philosophy and Eastern religions, with multiple meanings

Dharma, although there is no direct single-word translation for dharma in European languages, is commonly translated as "righteousness", "merit" or "religious and moral duties" governing individual conduct. It is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others.

<i>Mahabharata</i> Major Hindu epic

The Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the Rāmāyaṇa. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalki</span> Tenth and final avatar of Hindu deity Vishnu

Kalki, also called Kalkin, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of existence (Krita) in Vaishnava cosmology. The end of the Kali Yuga states this will usher in the new epoch of Satya Yuga in the cycle of existence, until the Mahapralaya.

Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable. It can be considered synonymous with "rightness" or being "upright". It can be found in Indian religions and Abrahamic traditions, among other religions, as a theological concept. For example, from various perspectives in Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism it is considered an attribute that implies that a person's actions are justified, and can have the connotation that the person has been "judged" or "reckoned" as leading a life that is pleasing to God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Draupadi</span> Character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata

Draupadi, also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yajnaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, and the common consort of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. She is noted for her beauty, courage, and polyandrous marriage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karna</span> Warrior in the epic Mahabharata

Karna, also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti, and thus a demigod of royal birth. Kunti was granted the boon to bear a child with desired divine qualities from the gods and without much knowledge, Kunti invoked the sun god to confirm it if it was true indeed. Karna was secretly born to an unmarried Kunti in her teenage years, and fearing outrage and backlash from society over her premarital pregnancy, Kunti had no choice but to abandon the newly born Karna adrift in a basket on the Ganges, in the hope that he finds foster parents. The basket is discovered, and Karna is adopted and raised by foster Sūta parents named Radha and Adhiratha Nandana of the charioteer and poet profession working for king Dhritarashtra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nakula</span> 4th Pandava in the epic Mahabharata

In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Nakula was the fourth of the five Pandava brothers. Nakula and Sahadeva were twins blessed to Madri, by the Ashvini Kumaras, the divine physicians. Their parents — Pandu and Madri - died early, so the twins were adopted by their step-mother, Kunti and were trained by Drona in Hastinapura.

<i>Artha</i> Indian philosophical term

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<i>Kahaani Hamaaray Mahaabhaarat Ki</i> Television series

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The Mausala Parva is the sixteenth of the eighteen books of the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. It traditionally has nine chapters. The critical edition has eight chapters. One of the 3 shortest books within the epic, the Mausala Parva describes the demise of Krishna in the 36th year after the Kurukshetra war had ended, the submersion of Dvaraka under sea, death of Balarama by drowning in the sea, Vasudeva's death, and a civil war fought among the Yadava clan that killed many of them. The story of infighting of the Yadavas becomes the reason why the Pandava brothers renounce their kingdom and begin their walk towards heaven, events recited in the last two books of the Mahabharata.

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The Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture, which is part of the epic Mahabharata. It forms the chapters 23–40 of book 6 of the Mahabharata called the Bhishma Parva. The work is dated to the second half of the first millennium BCE. Typical of the Hindu synthesis, it is considered one of the holy scriptures of Hinduism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahaprasthanika Parva</span> Seventeenth book of the Mahabharata

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurcharan Das</span> Indian author

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The Shanti Parva is the twelfth of eighteen books of the Indian Epic Mahabharata. It traditionally has 3 parts and 365 chapters. The critical edition has 3 parts and 353 chapters. It is the longest book among the eighteen books of the epic.

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Ashvamedhika Parva, is the fourteenth of eighteen books of the Indian epic Mahabharata. It traditionally has 2 parts and 96 chapters. The critical edition has one sub-book and 92 chapters.

Svargarohana Parva or the Book of the Ascent to Heaven, is the last of eighteen books of the Indian epic Mahabharata. It traditionally has 6 chapters. The critical edition has 5 chapters. It is one of the shortest books in the Mahabharata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yato Dharmastato Jayah</span> Sanskrit verse from the Mahabharata

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Daily Crossword". Outlook India . Retrieved 2019-10-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. Mitra, Moinak (2012-04-27). "The Difficulty of Being Good and its message on the path of righteousness". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  3. Das, Gurcharan (2009-09-17). "On the subtle art of dharma". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  4. 1 2 "The winner takes it all - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  5. 1 2 Bhattacharya, A. K. (2009-09-17). "The difficulty of explaining Dharma". Business Standard India. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  6. "Welcome to Hastinapur". Hindustan Times. 2009-09-11. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  7. "धर्म/अध्यात्म: अच्छाई की कठिनाई". aajtak.intoday.in (in Hindi). 16 July 2012. Retrieved 2020-01-30.