1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910819662803321

Autore

Roy Kaushik <1971->

Titolo

Hinduism and the ethics of warfare in South Asia : from antiquity to the present / / Kaushik Roy

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge ; ; New York, : Cambridge University Press, 2012

ISBN

1-139-57946-0

1-139-88750-5

1-139-57344-6

1-139-57264-4

1-139-08411-9

1-139-56908-2

1-139-57089-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (xix, 288 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Classificazione

REL028000

Disciplina

172/.420954

Soggetti

Military art and science - India - Philosophy - History

Military ethics - India - History

Hindu ethics - India - History

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

1. Religious ethic and the philosophy of warfare in vedic and epic India : 1500 BCE-400 BCE -- 2. Buddhism, Jainism, and Asoka's Ahimsa -- 3. Kautilya's Kutayaddha : 300 BCE-300 CE -- 4. Dharmayuddha and Kutahuddha from the Common Era to the advent of the Turks -- 5. Hindu militarism under Islamic Rule : 900 CE-1800 CE -- 6. Hindu militarism and anti-militarism in British India : 1750-1947 -- 7. Hindu military ethos and strategic thought in post-colonial India -- Conclusion.

Sommario/riassunto

This book challenges the view, common among Western scholars, that precolonial India lacked a tradition of military philosophy. It traces the evolution of theories of warfare in India from the dawn of civilization, focusing on the debate between Dharmayuddha (Just War) and Kutayuddha (Unjust War) within Hindu philosophy. This debate centers around four questions: What is war? What justifies it? How should it be



waged? And what are its potential repercussions? This body of literature provides evidence of the historical evolution of strategic thought in the Indian subcontinent that has heretofore been neglected by modern historians. Further, it provides a counterpoint to scholarship in political science that engages solely with Western theories in its analysis of independent India's philosophy of warfare. Ultimately, a better understanding of the legacy of ancient India's strategic theorizing will enable more accurate analysis of modern India's military and nuclear policies.