To be and Not to be,That is the Answer

“The book is a marvelous combination of the scholarly, personal, academic and meditative. The basic plan works wonderfully, building on his meticulous and thorough reading of the text and his extensive readings and his business life. It is an exceptional blend. The use of evolutionary biology and Prisoner’s Dilemma as a means to explain the Mahabharata’s pragmatism was absolutely brilliant. Wendy Doniger, Mircea Elade Professor of History of Religions, University of Chicago. “The book is an amazing tour de force that links an ancient philosophical epic to the struggles of modern society. This book is not for the conservative Hindu who doesn’t want his religion coopted. It is for the modern Indian who wants a fair and inclusive society. And for anyone who feels ripped off by moral absolutism. Gurcharan’s book reflects the dharmic problems we all face each day. This book was a wonderful experience. “Imagining India” author Nandan Nilekani. Gurcharan Das, a scholar and passionate writer, explains how the Mahabharata might help us understand our moral dilemmas. His analysis of dharma will be a delight to readers. He is able to do justice to the most complicated, thrilling, and honest poem in the world. This book is a wonderful example of the type of reflection the epic invites, both morally and politically. This book demonstrates why the Mahabharata has become a classic. It is timely. This book is a masterpiece. It is passionate, knowledgeable, and courageous. This book is passionate, knowledgeable, and even courageous. “Sheldon Pollock is the William B. Ransford Professor in Sanskrit, Indian Studies and Columbia University. This book is a miracle. A deeply sensitive man decides to abandon his routines and spend years reading the Mahabharata. He engages with the text with its bewildering messages, its heroes and the dramatic events. Then he finds the right words to give a thoughtful, personal, philosophically informed and sustained response. These things are rare in our age, so we should all be grateful for Gurcharan Das’s gift. This book is a triple treat. It offers a subtle interpretation of the Mahabharata episodes. These readings are used to raise provocative questions about dharma’s character. It raises important questions about our ethical lives ….. Pratap Bhanu Mahta, political scientist, president, Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. “This insightful, passionate, and informative book is one of my favorite books about the contributions of great literature to ethics thought.” Martha Nusbaum, University of Chicago Professor of Philosophy. Gurcharan Das’ search for dharma within the ancient epic uncovers hidden signs to a future desirable polity. The Difficulty of Becoming Good is an important Indian contribution to a new universal Enlightenment that’s not Western in character or origin. It’s a joy to read a book by William Dalrymple, The Financial Times
What is the point of being good? What is the best way to be kind? How can we better understand the moral and ethical failures that are so prevalent in today’s news media? These have caused great harm to individuals and communities as well as a lot of economic collapse. Gurcharan Das’s book, The Difficulty Of Being Good, explores these questions from an unlikely source: the 2000-year-old Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. The Mahabharata, a sprawling, funny, ironic, and charming poem, is obsessed with the mysterious notion of dharma, which in essence means doing the right thing. A hero who does wrong in a Greek epic is quick to reflect on his mistakes. When a hero fails in the Mahabharata the action ceases and everyone weighs in with their own, often contradictory, view of dharma. Every major character in the epic represents a significant moral failing, or virtue. Their struggles mirror with uncanny precision many of our familiar emotions, such as anxiety, courage and despair, remorseful envy, compassion and vengefulness. Das examines the Mahabharata through many different perspectives. He compares the successes, and failures, of the characters to contemporary people.
Any of them are highly visible in the worlds of business, politics, and economics. He finds striking parallels in each case that can be used to teach moral and ethical dilemmas for anyone involved in politics, economics, and business.