The Difficulty of Being Good: On the Subtle Art of Dharma

by Gurcharan Das

Book Overview

Why be good? What exactly is Dharma? How does one practise it, and to what effect? Gurcharan Das's superb exposition of the dilemmas and ambiguities inherent in the Mahabharata shows us how we can come to terms with the uncertain ethics of the world today, a world that is uncannily similar to that of the great epic.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143418971
• ISBN13: 9780143418979
• Release Date: June 2012
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 488 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Great Analysis of Dharma

It is a very interesting book delving into the subtleties of the mainstay of the Hindu philosophy - Dharma. The author, Mr. Gurucharan Das, has given a clear analysis of the various causes of Adharma based on the epic, Mahabharatha. Mr. Das spent several years researching the epic in different parts of the country and has given us a great work. A must for any student of philosophy.

A Reference for Life...

"The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living" -- Socrates Doing a review of Mr. Das's extraordinary work "The Difficulty of being Good" is like trying to describe Sistine Chapel to a blind person. Yet, I am going to make a sincere effort in doing this because like Yudhistira says "I must". Since Indian philosophy unfortunately is fused with religion ("Hinduism" is not an organized religion around one book or one person), its hard for people to directly compare Mahabharata to Ancient Greek works of philosophers like Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. Its not taught in school since it has religiousness attached to it. Like Mr. Das himself says, if kids in Italy can read "The Divine Comedy", why cant kids in India learn Mahabharatha? Especially if doing so could make them better human beings? I would like to call Ramayana and Mahabharata, Indian tragedies, much like Greek Tragedies. Both end up causing tremendous agony to the reader by the way they end. But, ironically they both teach the reader about the value of life through tragedy. Both are attributed to two different authors but its likely that these works were authored over centuries with multiple redux versions. Much like the works of Aristophanes and Sophacles, these works are filled with deep human emotion, melodrama, fatalistic suffering and moral dilemmas. In both the epics, all the protagonists end their avatars after completing an odyssey that is filled with great suffering, longing, warring and separation from loved ones. Hence, I think they are much like the Greek tragedies. Now, tragedy is a strange emotion. when projected on external parties, it has the power to cleanse the audiences' emotional state of being and give them a sense of relief grown from utter despair. That's called catharsis. Different people find catharsis though different mediums, some through music, some through artwork and others through writings. I believe this magnum opus of Mr. Das, is his own catharsis. By constantly craving to understand "dharma" and "dharmic religions", by constantly taking out examples from current day world and juxtaposing the same to Mahabharatha's world, he brings a perspective that is awe-inspiring, beautiful as well as pragmatic. By vicariously questioning the existential angst of the human condition and sometimes answering the same through these projections, Mr. Das tells a tale that is filled with anguish, suffering and pessimism yet somehow manages to create a light at the end of a turbulent and dark tunnel. Mahabharata is carved into 18 books. It tells the story of an ancient Indian royal family. The crux of the book (or books) tells the story of warring cousins who both claim a right to their ancestor's kingdom. Who is the legal heir to the throne is actually not a matter of grey. Yudhistira, the eldest of all the cousins (105 in total), is first in line for the succession. But his cousin, Duryodhana, usurps the kingdom through a fraudulent game of dice and sends Yudhistira and his fou

"Dharma is subtle"

This is a wonderful read for anyone interested in a dissection of the Mahabharata and the questions it poses. Das evaluates every character and it's place in answering the search for the ubiquitous Dharma, and what it exactly entails, reaching to the only conclusion that the Mahabharata tries to teach, that it is subtle. Das compares and contrasts the text with various other Western texts, the Greek ones especially, and conveys a certain authenticity to his ability as well-read enough to write on such a comprehensive and often contentious piece of literature. These comparisons are very interesting and shows the thought process of a researcher completely immersed and dedicated to the quest. Opinion from elsewhere compares this book to Iravati Karwe's, Yuganta, an analysis of the Mahabharatha on similar lines. Das himself brings out Karwe's conclusions and compares his to hers. Very interesting in this light as well. The USP of the book is supposed to be its ability in placing the erstwhile morals in the current context, and its evaluation of the directions in which we drift. Das achieves this well, especially when he utilizes his life as a driving force in finding the answers to questions he has pondered over. He is candid, which makes it easy for the reader to relate to the dilemmas. He places the very same questions in contexts like Nazi Germany, the Iraq war, India's struggle for independence, etc. and ponders over questions like the efficacy of a Just War, and the Hindu obsession with renunciation. These are definitely wonderful to analyze... For me, the book stands out, not because it tries to bring current moral conflicts to fore, as the Mahabharata is a fairly modern text, constantly trying to breach the boundaries of traditional society, so the metaphysical problems back then are similar to the problems one faces in today's world. The book stands out because of it's humane analysis of these morals, an empathy towards the characters that ponder over these morals, the constant autobiographical thread that helps us relate to the writer and comparisons with western literature that have attempted to solve the very same questions... Definitely worth the read !

A must-read for today's leaders

Wow! Gurcharan Das, former CEO of Procter & Gamble India, blazes a path thru ethical dilemmas facing us today. He illuminates as he relates current conflicts to those of the heroes in the Mahabharata. It is ironic that the moral swamp remains the same for 5000 years. A must-read for today's leaders.