What would be the Gita’s stand in today’s political world wrt the Left and the Right in India or the liberals and the conservatives in America

Answer Podcast

What would be the Bhagavad-gita’s stand in today’s political world—with respect to the Left and Right in India, or the Liberals and Conservatives in America?

This is a complex question because both the Bhagavad-gita and politics are layered and nuanced. The Gita is not a political manifesto—it is a philosophical and spiritual text with multilayered teachings. Similarly, the labels we use in today’s politics—Left, Right, Liberal, Conservative—are themselves not monolithic. Each encompasses a spectrum of positions.

Let us explore this step by step.

1. The Gita: A World-Affirming Yet Transcendence-Oriented Text

While the Gita points to transcendence as life’s ultimate goal, it is also world-affirming. Krishna does not ask Arjuna to renounce the world but rather to act responsibly within it. He encourages righteous engagement in worldly duties, especially for those in positions of influence and leadership. So, from the Gita’s perspective, societal leaders should uphold order and dharma.

2. Varṇāśrama and Social Organization

The Gita recommends varṇāśrama—a structured social order—as a framework for material harmony and spiritual progress. However, its emphasis is not on rigid structures but on spiritualizing those structures. This vision could, at times, align with conservative values (e.g., the preservation of order, responsibility, and tradition), but also includes progressive elements such as promoting spiritual equality.

3. The Gita and Economic Systems

The Gita accepts a form of hierarchy (as in varṇāśrama), which may resonate with capitalist or meritocratic systems. However, unlike unchecked capitalism, the Gita emphasizes responsibility and compassion. Communism theoretically supports the underprivileged but has often led to new hierarchies and suppression.

India initially adopted a socialist model post-independence, but economic liberalization in the 1990s brought significant growth. The debate between state control (socialism) and market freedom (capitalism) remains active. From a Gita standpoint, both systems can serve dharma if implemented with integrity, but both can become destructive if driven by greed or exploitation.

4. Conservatives vs. Liberals: A Western Perspective

In the American context:

• Conservatives often emphasize tradition, hierarchy, and individual responsibility.

• Liberals emphasize inclusion, equity, and state support for the marginalized.

The Gita contains elements of both:

• It affirms hierarchy (e.g., roles in society), but not based on birth—rather on qualities and activities (guna-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, 4.13).

• It strongly upholds spiritual inclusiveness. Krishna says that even those who are “low-born” can attain the highest destination through devotion (9.32).

So, materially, the Gita supports social organization based on capacity and responsibility. Spiritually, it is radically inclusive, offering liberation to all regardless of background.

5. Indian Left and Right: Cultural and Political Implications

In India, the terms Left and Right have different connotations:

• The Left often equates Hinduism with the caste system and opposes what it perceives as Brahmanical orthodoxy. Unfortunately, many in the Indian Left misrepresent the Gita as endorsing a rigid caste hierarchy, whereas the Gita explicitly defines caste by guna and karma, not by janma (birth).

• The Right, especially the Hindu right, emphasizes India’s Vedic heritage and sees Hinduism as integral to national identity. This aligns more with the Gita’s emphasis on preserving one’s svadharma and spiritual roots. However, extreme right-wing interpretations that promote violence or suppress diversity go beyond what the Gita teaches.

The Gita supports self-defense when necessary but never promotes indiscriminate violence. While it calls Arjuna to war, this is portrayed as a reluctant, dharma-based action—not a crusade.

6. Misuse of the Gita by Extremist Ideologies

Throughout Indian history, even when foreign aggression was rampant, prominent acharyas like Ramanuja or Madhva did not use the Gita to call for political war. They focused on spiritual elevation. Thus, appropriating the Gita’s call for battle to justify contemporary political or religious violence is a distortion.

The Gita’s message is not of violence or silence—it is of transcendence. Violence is permitted only in exceptional circumstances, and even then, only when aligned with dharma, not with political ambition or religious bigotry.

7. Conclusion: Neither Left Nor Right, But Dharmic

The Bhagavad-gita:

• Is not partisan—it doesn’t fit neatly into Left–Right or Liberal–Conservative categories.

• Encourages responsible leadership and righteous governance.

• Advocates social harmony while also empowering the marginalized.

• Supports tradition without being dogmatic, and progress without being chaotic.

• Promotes spiritual equality while recognizing functional differences.

In today’s polarized political landscape, the Gita serves as a transcendental guide, calling for the spiritualization of consciousness over the politicization of ideology. It encourages inner transformation as the basis for outer reformation.

So, rather than taking a side, the Gita offers a higher vantage point—one that can help sincere individuals on any side of the political spectrum act with greater integrity, vision, and compassion.