Gita and Other Ethical Frameworks: A Comparison

8.1 Gita vs Western Ethics

Ethical Framework	Key Principle	Gita Parallel
Kant's Categorical Imperative	Act only on maxims you could will as universal laws	Swadharma — role-specific duty universally applied
Bentham/Mill Consequentialism	Maximize happiness for greatest number	Lokasamgraha — welfare of all
Aristotle's Virtue Ethics	Cultivate virtues through practice until habitual	Chapter 16 — cultivate daivi qualities systematically
Rawls' Justice	Institutions designed to benefit the least advantaged	Gita's equity concern — compassion for all creatures
Confucian Ethics	Role obligations; ruler's virtue radiates to society	Swadharma + leader's example (Lokasamgraha)

Key difference: Gita integrates metaphysical liberation (moksha) into its ethics — right action ultimately leads to freedom from rebirth. Western ethics is largely this-worldly. However, for practical administrative ethics, this distinction is less important than the shared emphasis on duty, integrity, and community welfare.

8.2 Gandhi's Use of the Gita

Mahatma Gandhi called the Gita his "spiritual dictionary" and "mother." His interpretation (Anasaktiyoga — The Gospel of Selfless Action) emphasised:

1. Nishkama karma as the foundation of satyagraha — non-violent resistance works precisely because the satyagrahi is detached from outcome (not even attached to winning — only to truth and non-violence)
2. The means-end unity — Gita teaches that the path is the goal; Gandhi's insistence that means must be as pure as ends flows directly from this
3. Sarvodaya (welfare of all) as administrative/political ideal — Gita's lokasamgraha in Gandhian language
4. Self-discipline as prerequisite for political action — no person can lead others who has not first disciplined themselves

Bal Gangadhar Tilak's Gita Rahasya (1915) written in prison offered a different interpretation — karma yoga as justification for active political resistance against British rule; the Gita as a call to action, not quietism.

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