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The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma, by Gurcharan Das

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Review

''The book is a wonderful combination of the scholarly and the personal, the academic and the meditative. The basic plan works beautifully, building a rich mix of his very, very careful and detailed reading of the text, his other wide reading, and his life in business; an extraordinary blend. I found the use of evolutionary biology and the Prisoner's Dilemma to explain the pragmatism of the Mahabharata absolutely brilliant.'' --Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Professor of the History of Religions, University of Chicago ''The book is a remarkable tour de force that connects an ageless philosophical epic to the travails of contemporary society. This book is for the liberal Hindu who does not want his religion co-opted, for the modern Indian who wants to build a fair and inclusive society and for the global citizen who is rendered asunder by moral absolutism. The dharmic challenges we face every day resonate throughout Gurcharan's book. Reading this book has been an enriching experience!'' --Nandan Nilekani, author of Imagining India ''Through a series of bravura readings of the Mahabharata, Gurcharan Das makes a learned and passionate attempt to inform how the great Indian epic might illuminate our present-day moral dilemmas. Readers will find his analyses of dharma insightful, challenging, and honest--doing full justice to the world's most complex, exciting and honest poem. This admirable book offers precisely the kind of reflection that the epic itself invites--moral, political and public. It shows why the Mahabharata is a classic: because it is ever timely. This superb book is knowledgeable, passionate, and even courageous. Grounded in a secure knowledge of the narrative, it raises key moral problems--from the doctrine of just war to affirmative action to the nature of suffering--and it makes striking attempts to link these with contemporary discussions and issues, both public and personal.'' --Sheldon Pollock, William B. Ransford Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Columbia University''The book is a kind of miracle: a deeply sensitive man suddenly decides to leave his usual routines and familiar roles and to spend some years simply reading the Mahabharata and seeing what the ancient epic has to tell him; he engages profoundly with the text, with the bewildering profusion of its messages, its tormented heroes, and the dramatic events it describes; and he then finds the space and the right words for a thoughtful, highly personal, philosophically informed, skeptical, sustained response. Such things happen only rarely in our generation, and we should all be grateful to Gurcharan Das for this gift.'' --David Shulman, Renee Lang Professor of Humanistic Studies, Hebrew University''This book is a triple treat. It provides a subtle reading of episodes in the Mahabharata. It uses those readings to raise consistently provocative questions about the character of dharma. And it addresses important questions about the character of our ethical lives....It wears its learning lightly, prompting one to think, and hence it is a pleasure and a provocation.'' --Pratap Bhanu Mehta, political scientist and president, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi ''This wise, passionate, and illuminating book is one of the best things I've read about the contribution of great literature to ethical thought.'' --Martha Nussbaum, Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago''Gurcharan Das' personal search for dharma in the ancient epic uncovers buried signposts to a desirable future polity. The Difficulty of Being Good is a significant Indian contribution to a new, universal Enlightenment that is not Western in origin or character. It is a delight to read a book that wears its learning so elegantly and presents its arguments with such panache.'' --Sudhir Kakar, author and psychoanalyst ''It took me on a huge intellectual and emotional journey. And with Gurcharan Das as guide, even familiar paths seemed to lead through fresh landscapes....The secular humanism and intellectual humility that shines through this beautiful book shows that--along with everything else--the Mahabharata can provide just what the modern world needs. Das' rehabilitation of Yudhishthira is inspiring...showing convincingly that [others] misunderstand his role. I came away feeling more whole.'' --Dr. Ian Proudfoot, Sanskrit scholar, Australian National University "The Difficulty of Being Good represents an attempt by Das to bring together the two sides of his life, the literary and the practical. The result is a highly personal and idiosyncratic, yet richly insightful meditation on the application of ancient philosophy to issues of modern moral conduct and right and wrong."--William Dalrymple, The Financial Times

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About the Author

Gurcharan Das is the author of the much-acclaimed India Unbound, which has been translated into many languages and filmed by the BBC. He writes a regular column for six Indian newspapers, including the Times of India, and occasionally for Newsweek, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Affairs. His other books include the novel A Fine Family; a book of essays, The Elephant Paradigm; and an anthology, Three English Plays, consisting of Larins Sahib, 9 Jakhoo Hill, and Mira.

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Product details

Paperback: 488 pages

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3229th edition (October 1, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0199754411

ASIN: B007SRW3OO

Product Dimensions:

9.2 x 1.2 x 6.1 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review:

4.4 out of 5 stars

55 customer reviews

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

#2,543,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

This book took me by storm. I purchased it at the suggestion of my cousin after we were having a spiritual conversation that first started on What's App. I have spent every spare moment I have reading this book. As a Hindu Indian who has been born and raised in the US I loved the references to Greek mythology and the Western philosophers as we spend a lot of time studying this in school. I have always thought that there are many parallels between Greek mythology and the epics of the Hindu religion. I appreciated how Mr. Das compared and contrasted them.While I was reading the book I couldn't help but see the parallels to what is happening right now in the US during our election year. The Mahabharata is playing out right here in front of me. I couldn't help but slot current politicians into the various characters in the Mahabharata. And once I started down that road, you can analyze almost any situation we are facing today - terrorism, corporate greed, personal family situations, etc. along the lines of the Mahabharata and of course the Mahabharata that plays out inside of us individually. I could relate to each character - I've experienced each one of those traits - envy, courage, revenge, the unevenness of dharma, etc. I could go on. I especially appreciated how he used examples that are in current times that I could relate to whether it was his own personal experiences, the Ambani brothers, or the Financial Crisis of 2008.I especially appreciated this commentary on how there is very little remorse today. We need more people like Yudhishthira to actually feel remorse when they've done wrong. As he rightly mentions there was no remorse after the 2008 Financial crisis or the many other things that play out in the global arena. Our leaders whether political, corporate, or religious have lost sight of their dharma.If I could offer a few suggestions to improve the book it would be that there were some things that were repeated quite often. Perhaps this was for the readers who have no information about the Mahabharata and that's why he continued to repeat many of the facts, I don't know. The other suggestion I have is that he very briefly touches on the fact had the Pandavas always followed dharma and not fought the war or had fought fairly they would have most probably have lost and that perhaps being dharmic means you lose in the world that we live in. I would have liked to hear more about this because it makes me question is it really possible to follow dharma and succeed in the world we live in? Or do you really have to choose between succeeding in the material world or succeeding with your higher being. He also briefly speaks about but perhaps this was destined because Krishna wanted to kill off the kshastrias because they as a group had too much pride, ego, etc. In which case is the demise of the kshastria class a result of their collective karma.I really loved the book - but I would love to see a sequel that expands on some of the issues that Mr. Das did not dive deep on. The book definitely made me think of a variety of things going on the world as well as my own personal life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!!And lastly, as Mr. Das mentions early in the book why isn't the Mahabharata read more, analyzed more and studied throughout the world? This is an epic that merits more attention and we need more people like Mr. Das to bring our great epics and literature to a global stage.

This is one of the rare books that rekindles the joy of reading in its patrons, especially those who are familiar with the substratum of Das's book - the Mahabharata. When the Mahabharata was telecast in India in the 1980s, one of the lines in its title song was 'seekh hum beete yugon se naye yug ka kare swaagat,' or 'let us learn from past eras to inform (improve) our actions in our current time.' In a refreshing contrast to the litany of books and TV serials on the Mahabharata that simply regurgitate its content for a younger set of consumers, Das's book - like Iravati Karve's 'Yugaanta' - follows through on the suggestion above; it analyzes the conduct of the epic's protagonists, celebrates deeds undertaken with a spirit of sacrifice, passes judgment on actions motivated by greed/ envy and during this process, seeks to discover elusive life-lessons that are hinted at by the epic's author (Vyasa). As an ex-CEO of P&G India and a historian of contemporary India ('India Unbound' was very beneficial to me during my CAT preparations), Das is in a unique position of relating these lessons to corporate and political battles being staged in modern India (and around the world), which he does so admirably. His quotes from past philosophers, Greek mythology and his personal experience growing up in Shimla and as a student at Harvard/ University of Chicago in relation to events described in the Mahabharata make the book all the more informative. I found Das's insights on the flaws of capitalism and socialism as well as his view on the differences in the writing styles of Greek and Indian myths to be particularly interesting. In summary, Das's book is a welcome change from standard prose menu available to readers - entertaining fictions, prosaic histories and self-evident self-help books. Das's book forces its readers to think of the consequences of their actions from a personal as well as a societal perspective.I would have preferred the use of the critical edition of the Mahabharata as the basis for the book instead of the English translations that were actually chosen. The critical edition omits several passages that are found in the traditional version and the abridged text offers better insights into the conduct of the Mahabharata's protagonists. For example, Das writes about Karna instigating the disrobing of Draupadi (this seems to be payback for his rejection at Draupadi's Svayamvara), but the critical edition removes Karna from the Svayamvara altogether. The critical edition is consistent with Karna's statement to Krishna that Karna's sons were married to Suta women (Vidura was married to a Suta princess as well), so Karna would never have been eligible for Draupadi's hand in the first place. This means Karna's action at the game of dice was representative of realpolitik or the 'law of the jungle (Matsya-Nyaya)' - i.e., given an opportunity, the strong prey upon those who are vulnerable. This axiom is repeated time and again in Das's book - 'whether by virtuous means or not, a Kshatriya's duty is to prevail' and 'life presents itself in a way in which the least experienced (weakest) player is nevertheless pushed to the point of staking everything he has in the end (against the strong), with the certainty of losing.' This also robs Karna of the rich reputation that Das accords to him (that 'Karna's life reminds us that true Dharma is truth, commitment, generosity and friendship'). In the epic, Karna is vicious to the Pandavas, Draupadi and Abhimanyu (when they are helpless) and extremely rash in discharging his duty as Duryodhana's friend and commander-in-chief (he promises Kunti that he will not kill four Pandava brothers and lets Yudhishthira go on the 17th day of battle when Yudhishthira's capture could have ended the war).In an epic that defines Dharma as 'one should never do to another what one regards as injurious to oneself (i.e., compassion). This is the law of Dharma,' it is quite ironic to find every single protagonist (with the exception of Yudhishthira who was in an impossible predicament) following realpolitik when it suited their interest. We can go through the list - Bhishma rejects Amba's pleas and takes her away by force/ weds Gandhari to a blind king without her approval, Drona demands Ekalayva's thumb to maintain Arjuna's superiority (and Arjuna assents to this), Bhima publicly shames Karna in the tournament of Kuru princes, Karna publicly shames the Pandavas and Draupadi in the game of dice, Krishna and Arjuna slaughter the unarmed and innocent inhabitants of the Khandava forest, Duryodhana orders the killing of the unarmed Abhimanyu - the list goes on. The actions of the epic's protagonists (including Krishna's) are at violent variance with the lofty definition of Dharma as compassion (as Das's book concludes), leading one to suspect that the Mahabharata was never intended to be a manual of Dharma in the first place. Indeed, India has another set of books called the Dharmashastras that debate the theory and practice of Dharma, and the Mahabharata is not included in this set. The Mahabharata is a book on Karma-yoga - it exhorts one to act according to one's Dharma (which is the teaching of the Gita), which in turn is decided by one's Varna. Vidura clearly explains the Dharma of each Varna to Dhritarashtra in the Udyoga Parva and compassion is not listed as an attribute of any Varna. The virtues of following one's Dharma as per one's Varna is a place in heaven, which is the culmination of the epic. There is no place for Moksha (liberation) in this worldview.I would go with Devdutt Pattanaik's interpretation of the message of the Mahabharata - he has pointed out that the original epic was called Jaya (8,800 verses) and was much smaller than the Mahabharata (24,000 verses). As per Pattanaik, Jaya was a story of conquering one's internal enemies (e.g., anger, envy, greed, hatred, animosity), which is illustrated by Yudhishthira's experience in heaven. Aghast at seeing Duryodhana in heaven and his brothers in hell, Yudhishthira laments that he would rather spend the rest of his days in hell. Indra calmly asks him why he still harbors such spite against the Kauravas when he was victorious in battle against the Kurus, had slain all his enemies and had ruled over the Kuru kingdom for 36 years. If this wasn't victory (vijaya), then what more would satisfy Yudhishthira? Yudhishthira finally realizes that real victory (Jaya) is not over external enemies but over one's own desire for things to be a certain way. When Yudhishthira lets this desire go, he is finally at peace.The concept of Dharma as compassion is redolent of Buddhist philosophy. The Buddha has said that once one's mind is cleansed of all samskraras (impressions that produce desires), then one is left with compassion for all. The entire corpus of Jataka tales revolves around the theme of compassion (culminating in the Bodhisattva incarnating as Gautama). The concept of Moksha is introduced in the Shanti Parva of the Mahabharata, which is not a part of the critical edition. Compassion as Dharma would lead to Moksha, which is an ideal of Jnana-yoga/ Buddhism and not the Karma-yoga of the Mahabharata. The reason for Jnana Yoga/ Buddhism being more relevant than Karma Yoga in later renditions of the Mahabharata is the subject of another essay.Lastly, there is a factual error on page 219 - Drupada was killed by Drona on the 15th night (Ashwatthama did not kill Drupada on the 18th night). Das should have said Shikhandi in this passage.

I have read at least 4 different versions of Mahabharata & every time I had finished with unresolved questions. I used to have questions specially around Krishna, Karna & Bhishma. This book has helped answer a lot of those questions. Just to give an e.g. I used to always wonder why did Bhishma, a great warrior remain a mute witness to what happened with Draupadi after the dice game. This books sheds a lot of light on that event.If anyone wants to really "understand" Mahabharata, this is the book for you. Go for it!!

I suppose I misread what this book was truly about. I really tried to get into it, but just couldn't. It will be shared with someone else.

This is a great book about a complex subject, written in a readable style. He makes the reader asks the important questions of life and puts them in the framework of the Mahabharata.... enjoyable reading. I also bought a hard copy of the book as it's the kind of book you would want to refer to and leaf back and forth from beginning to middle to end, to remember the characters and so forth.

This is a book worth reading in these times when the line between good and bad has become more obscured than ever. Gurcharan Das has not only succeeded in bringing an old epic story of the east into a contemporary global context, but in the process has also written a thought provoking treatise on ethical/moral/psychological issues confronting the modern man. At places in the book I wished that the discussion woud get deeper into philosophical and psychological dimensions rather than political/current events perspectives, but that is a personal preference. I would highly recommend this book to any one interested in how an ancient story can reveal the stubborn-ness of human conflict.

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