Justice and Dharma in Indian Scriptures: A Timeless Pursuit

 Recently, I created a video titled “Draupadi’s Revenge”, exploring the philosophical tension between Dharma and vengeance in the Mahabharata. While narrating Draupadi’s final decision—to forgive Ashwathama even after the brutal killing of her sons—I found myself drawn into a deeper study of how Indian scriptures understand justice.

This article presents a brief reflection drawn from that study.

Across millennia, Indian thought has treated justice not merely as legal punishment, but as alignment with a deeper moral and cosmic order. From the Vedas to the epics and philosophical texts, justice is seen as an expression of Dharma — the sustaining principle of life and society.

1. Ṛta (ऋत): Justice as Cosmic Order in the Vedas

Ṛta (ऋत) is a basic Sanskrit term derived from the Vedas. It connotes the fundamental elements sustaining the universe namely, cosmic, natural, and moral. Ṛta governs not only celestial movements and seasons, but also ethical conduct.

In the Rigveda, adherence to truth (Satya) is described as essential to maintaining Ṛta. Justice, therefore, is not merely a human construct—it is participation in cosmic harmony. To violate truth is to disturb the universal order; to uphold it is to strengthen creation itself.

This early Vedic insight reveals that justice in Indian thought begins not in courts or kingship, but in the structure of existence.

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2. Dharma in the Mahabharata: Justice and Moral Complexity

The Mahabharata offers perhaps the most profound exploration of Dharma in world literature. It does not present justice as simplistic or mechanical. Instead, it reveals its moral complexity.

In the Bhagavad Gita (4.7–8), Krishna declares:

“Whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness rises, I manifest Myself…
To protect the virtuous, to destroy evil, and to re-establish Dharma, I appear age after age.”

Justice here is restorative — it seeks balance rather than blind retaliation.

Draupadi’s decision in the aftermath of war reflects this deeper understanding. Standing at the crossroads of grief and power, she chose restraint over revenge. Her choice illustrates that Dharma sometimes demands moral elevation rather than emotional reaction.

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3. Dharma and Social Order in the Manusmriti

The Manusmriti, one of the early Dharmashastra texts, articulates justice in the context of governance and social stability.

The well-known maxim states:

“Dharmo rakshati rakshitah”
Dharma protects those who protect it.

This expresses a reciprocal principle: when justice is upheld, society flourishes; when it is violated, disorder prevails. Justice, therefore, is not merely enforced authority — it is civilizational self-preservation.

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4. Karma in the Upanishads: Justice as Moral Causation

The Upanishads internalize justice through the doctrine of Karma — the law of action and consequence.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad teaches:

“As one acts, so does one become.”

Here, justice is woven into the very structure of reality. Actions inevitably yield consequences. No external judge is required; the moral law operates inherently within existence.

This understanding makes justice both universal and personal.

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5. The Ramayana: Justice Embodied in Character

In the Valmiki Ramayana, Lord Rama is described as:

“Ramo vigrahavaan dharmah”
Rama is Dharma embodied.

Justice here is not abstract philosophy but lived character. Rama’s life demonstrates that righteousness often demands sacrifice, discipline, and steadfast commitment to duty.

Leadership, in this tradition, is measured not by power, but by alignment with Dharma.

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Conclusion: Justice Beyond Punishment

Indian scriptures present a layered and nuanced understanding of justice:

• In the Vedas, justice is cosmic order.
• In the Mahabharata, it is moral discernment.
• In the Manusmriti, it is social regulation.
• In the Upanishads, it is karmic causation.
• In the Ramayana, it is embodied character.

Justice, in this civilizational framework, is not merely about punishing wrongdoing. It is about restoring balance — within society and within oneself.

Draupadi’s choice reminds us that Dharma sometimes demands restraint rather than retaliation. And perhaps that is the enduring message of Indian wisdom: true strength lies not in vengeance, but in alignment with Dharma.

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What Role Can Interpreting India’s Heritage, Scriptures, and Storytelling through Digital Media Play in the Orange Economy?

Part 1

India’s growing interest in the Orange Economy—the economy of creativity, culture, and intellectual property—is often discussed as a modern or emerging phenomenon. Yet, in the Indian context, creativity has never existed in isolation from culture. Storytelling, interpretation, and transmission of knowledge have always been central to how this civilisation functioned.

If India is entering a new creative phase, an important question arises: what role can the interpretation of heritage, scriptures, and traditional narratives—especially through digital media—play in shaping this economy?

At its core, the Orange Economy is not merely about platforms or monetisation. It is about creating meaning. India’s unique advantage lies in continuity—an unbroken tradition of narratives, symbols, and philosophies that were never static. Epics, purāṇic traditions, regional histories, and oral storytelling were not preserved as fixed texts. They evolved through commentary, performance, debate, and retelling. Interpretation, not repetition, was the norm.

Digital media, in this sense, should not be seen only as a disruptive force. It can also be understood as the latest layer in a long tradition of transmission—from oral memory to manuscripts, from print to screen. What has changed is scale. A single video, essay, or visual narrative can now reach audiences across languages and geographies almost instantly. This creates opportunity, but also responsibility.

Language plays a crucial role here. The renewed use of Hindi and regional languages through digital platforms has expanded access to history and scriptures, allowing wider participation in cultural knowledge. Interpreting complex material in accessible language—without diluting its depth—has become a creative act in itself.

Today, individual creators often perform multiple roles simultaneously: researcher, interpreter, and publisher. When working with history, epics, or sacred traditions, interpretation is never neutral. Choices of framing and emphasis shape public understanding. In this sense, India’s Orange Economy will mature not simply through volume of content, but through depth, care, and interpretive honesty.

Across the country, a quiet cultural movement is already visible. Educators, historians, artists, and independent creators are engaging with India’s past through digital formats, often outside institutional frameworks. Together, they form a meaningful—if understated—part of the Orange Economy, rooted in knowledge rather than novelty.

India’s creative future will depend not only on innovation, but on how consciously it interprets its inheritance. Digital media offers powerful tools. The challenge, and the opportunity, lies in using them to deepen understanding rather than flatten it.

Next Blog: Part 2

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TALES FROM THE EPIC MAHABHARAT: Episode 1- DRAUPADI'S REVENGE: Part 1 #...

The emotional power of poetry

THE MORNING GLORY-A Book of Poetry

The poems that have inspired me in my poetic journey

I have been a writer of prose, having already published two novels, “Wings of Freedom” and “The Full Circle: A Saga of Unrequited Love”. But since my childhood I have also been an admirer of poetry. I still remember nostalgically the great poets, whose poems had impacted my impressionable mind in school and college. So, a renewed fondness for poetry and re-reading of the old poems inspired me to pen down some poems on topics dear to my heart and based on my life’s journey. And soon I had a collection of forty odd poems. I thought of sharing them with the readers and that’s how my first book of poetry “The Morning Glory” was born. I have described these thoughts in the Preface to the book. I bring you a small garland of poems… joining the multi-hued blooms, in my life’s garden nurtured, during my eventful journey of years, to beget your love and cheers. By way of this blog, I would like to allude to some poems that have fascinated me since my childhood with a brief write up on the poets or poetesses. The first poem is Toru Dutt’s “Our Casuarina Tree” that I read in my school. The opening stanza of the poem captures the nostalgia of the poetess for the beauty of the Casuarina Tree near which she used play in her childhood with other children in the family and her friends. It reads as below: "LIKE a huge Python, winding round and round The rugged trunk, indented deep with scars, Up to its very summit near the stars, A creeper climbs, in whose embraces bound No other tree could live. But gallantly The giant wears the scarf, and flowers are hung In crimson clusters all the boughs among, Whereon all day are gathered bird and bee; And oft at nights the garden overflows With one sweet song that seems to have no close, Sung darkling from our tree, while men repose."

The imagery of the Casuarina tree (having its leaves as a horse’s mane and known in India as ‘Jungli Jhao’) by the poetess as a majestic giant, gallantly carrying a python-like creeper and wearing the colourful scarf of crimson flowers is quite enchanting. The charm is further accentuated by the depiction of birds and bees sheltered in the tree and the sweet music that flows in its environs in the night while all are sleeping. Toru Dutt (1856-1877) was a great poetess of India, who with her grooming as a linguist wrote in English and French. Even though she had a short life span, she contributed substantially to literature by her writings in both these languages, some of which were also adaptations from Sanskrit. More in my forthcoming blogs about other poets who inspired me.

THE MORNING GLORY -A Book of Poetry by Ratan Kaul