Pensamento tico na ndia

Stephen clark

Theexpression,Indianethics,inpractice,usuallymeansHinduethics,
withanoccasionalnodtowardstheheterodoxschoolswhichdeniedthe
authorityoftheVedas:Buddhists,JainsandCarvaka.
Asobrasfundadoras
TheVedas,theUpanishads,thePuranas,andtheepicsRamayanaand
MahabharatalieattherootofIndia,asHomer,thelaterGreekpoetsandphilo
sophers,andtheBiblelieattherootofEurope.
TheVedas,theUpanishads,thePuranas,andtheepicsRamayanaand
MahabharatalieattherootofIndia,asHomer,thelaterGreekpoetsandphilo
sophers,andtheBiblelieattherootofEurope.Theyarestillbetterknownin
IndiathanthecorrespondingtextsareknowninmodernEuropeanditscolo
nies,andstoriesfromtheepicsarestillcitedinpublicdebatetomakesome
moralpoint.
OMahabharata
StudiesofHinduethicsoftenbeginbyexamining,especially,theMahabharata,
thestoryofafratricidalwar,andthestrangesermonfromKrishna,anincarnate
god,knownastheBhagavadgita,theSongofGod,thattakesplaceata
crucialbattleofthatwar.Thatsermondemandsthatweeachdoourduty,as
definedbystatus,ageandcharacter,andalsothatwerealizethatourdestiny,
ourrealselves,transcendsuchduties.Moreparticularlyitdemandsthatthe
virtuouswarrior,Arjuna,bracehimselftokillhiskin.
Anystableorder,wemaysuspect,dependsintheendonharnessingreal
emotions,ensuringthatweallhavesomethingtoadmireandworshipin
authority.
Anordermaintainedentirelybythethreatofviolenceisunstable:oneinwhich
violenceisvindicatedbyitsservicetothesacredhasbetterhopeoflasting.
Oprincipalproblema
Themainproblem,boththeoreticalandpolitical,forIndiaistoreconcilethe
universalistdemandassociatedwiththegoldenrule(totreatothersaswe
wouldwishourselvestobetreated)withthemanifolddivisionsofgender,
casteandpersonaldevotion.
Castas
TheEnglishtermcoverstwodifferentsortsofgrouping.Theoriginaldivision

ofsocietydictatedinthelawsofManuisintofourvarnas,colors:Brahmins,
Kshatriya,Vaishya(thesethreebeingtwicebornthroughbirthandlater
initiation),andSudra.Thecolorsinquestion,itshouldbenoted,aremore
likelythoseofthethreegunas,humors(sattva,rajasandtamas:peace,energy
andinertia)thanskincolors.Untouchableslieoutsidethesystem,andarecon
demnedtosuchpollutingactivitiesasclearingupexcrementortanningleather.
EvenGandhi,thoughhesoughttoencourageevenBrahminstotakeonthe
burdenofdealingwiththeirownexcrement,offeredtheconvenientrationaliza
tionthatthevarnasmerelydistinguishdifferentsortsofperson,differentgoals
andmotivationsverymuchasPlatoandotherGreeksdistinguishedthem.
Somepeoplewishtodiscoveratranscendenttruth;othersseekhonorinpoli
ticalormilitarysuccess;othersseekprosperity,orareablesimplytoserveas
laborers(thesedivisions,perhaps,werenotatfirsthereditary).Otheranalyses,
likethatofLouisDumont(1970),identifythenotionofpurityasthe
systemssource.Untouchables,outsidethesystem,yetsupportit,beingat
theoppositeendofaspectrumleadingdownfromBrahminicalpurity.
Withouttheirpracticalandsymbolicassociationwithimpuritytherecouldbe
nopure.
Itmaybethatitistechnologythatisneededtotransformthesystem,not
merelyappealstoproperhumanfeeling.(ticaetecnologia)
Osjtis
Comparaaocomassociedadesocidentaisbritanicaefrancesa
anymoreegalitariansocietymay,inpracticalfact,beimposingthevaluesand
inhibitionsofonehistoricallydominantgrouponall.InBritain,forexample,
ithasbeensaidthatmiddleclassvalues(ofeducationalattainment,deferred
gratification,individualchoice)maynotbesharedatallbythepoorerclasses
(whohavegoodreasontodoubtthateducationdoesthemanygoodorthat
thereisapointinputtingoffattainableenjoyments,andvaluefamilysoli
darityfarmore).AndBritishimperialsentiment,whichallowedtheexistence
ofmanydifferingcultures(aslongasalladmittedthattheBritishwereontop),
mayhave,inaway,beenlessoppressivethanFrenchimperialsentiment
(whichsoughttoturneveryoneelseintogoodFrenchcitizens).Egalitarianor
meritocraticindividualism,inshort,isnotnecessarilythebestoronlyanswer
tothehumanproblem.Establishedcastes,clans,classesandprofessions
embodyapluralityofvalues,adiversityofpracticeandopinionthatmayreally
behumane.

Kama,artha,dharma

ItiscommonIndiandoctrinethattherearefourbroadhumangoals:sensual
pleasure,publicsuccess,moralityandfreedom.
ThequestionformodernEuropeanmoralistshasusuallybeenwhetherthethird
goal,morality,takesprecedenceovertheothers.MoreancientEuropean
moralistshavebeenreadiertoacknowledgethatitisthefourthwhichmust
takeprecedence,agreeinginthiswithmostHindusages.
Thatmostofusdesireoraregladtoenjoybothsensualpleasureandsuccessis
obviousandexpectable.Thatanyofusdesire,really,tobemoralorjustis
morecontentious.(52)Morality,oftenenough,hasbeendefendedsimplyasa
secondbest:allofuswouldreallyprefertodoandenjoyexactlywhatwewant
(whateverthatis)regardlessofourstationortheneedsofothers.
Unfortunately,inthisageoftheworld,atleast,nomorethanahandfulofthe
veryrichorverypowerful(ifthey)canhavethiscomfortandtheymustlive
infearofdispossession.
Bettertreatothersaswewouldourselvesbetreated,sincewecanrarelycount
onanyspecialluckortalent.Fromthiswecaninferatleastahandfulof
universalvirtues:kindness,honesty,commonprudence.Maybewecangoa
littlefurther.RichardLannoysummarizesthethreeessentialmoral
predicatesasdana,togiveotherstheirdue;daya,tosympathizewith
onesfellowcreatures;dama,torestrainonespassions(Lannoy1971:295).
Attheveryleast,letusdonoharm(ahimsa).
Asresponsabilidadesparticularesdecadagrupo
Theseotherrightsandresponsibilitiesarentuniversal.Whateverourstation,
statusandprofessionwewillhaveparticularduties.Soourduty,dharma,isnt
onlytodowhatisrequiredofeveryone,butratherwhatisrequiredofus.
Perhapswerewarrioraristocrats,likeHomersheroes,whohavebeengiven
honorandsupportbyallourtribeandmust,inhonor,nowfightbravely.
Nossosdeveressoindividuais
Ourduties,ourdharma,areindividual,orrather,dependonthemanyfunctions
wefulfill.ThisdoctrinetooisnotsodistantfromtheoldEuropeanmodel:the
virtueofgoodwomenisnotthatofgoodmen,evenifthesamewordsare
employed.Goodservantsdontmakegoodmasters;goodwarriorsarent
goodscholars(oratanyrate,iftheyare,itisbecausetheyhavemorevirtues
thantheirkindrequires).
Schematically,Hinduethicsidentifiesfourstagesofvirtue:student,house
holder,forestdweller(whocankeeptheirspouses)andrenouncer(though
whetherallgoodHindusreallygothroughthefoursomemaybedoubted).

Whatwearerequiredtodowilldifferwithourtimeoflife,aswellaswithour
genderandourstation.
Amedicinaayuverdica
Thesemoralduties,universalandparticular,aregrounded(maybe)inour
shareddesiresforpeaceandplenty:wecannotaffordtobeselfseekingand

neglectfuloftherightfulclaimsofothers.Thegainisnotonlysocial.A
yurvedicmedicineadvocatesacodeofconductthatincludesrespectfor
elders,holdingtothetruth,nonviolence,avoidinganger,avoidingindulgence
inalcohol,sex,excessivelabor,keepingpeaceful,humble,kind,studious,
selfrestrained,sensitivetoweatherandbalancedsleep
Acondutacorreta

Butmostmoralists,inEuropeasinIndia,willalsoidentifyrightconductas
correctwhetherornotwecangainpeaceorplentyfromit.Therearethingswe
mustdo,whetherallofusoronlysome,eveniftheycostus,eveniftheycost
usall.Therearethingswehavenorighttodo,evenifwecould,inaway,do
soquitesafely
Odeverdeagireoresultadodaaao

Thisthought,ofcourse,becomesaparadox:howcanwedowhatwedomerely
asourduty,withoutcaringaboutitsfruits,itsoutcome,whenourdutyis
exactlytointend,asmuchaswecan,oneoutcome.
OfimultimodaticaIndianaescapardomundo.

Moksha,Karma,reincarnation
Mokshaisliberationfromthepainsanddutiesofthismortallife.Whereasthe
goalofmodernEuropeanethics(orsoitisoftensupposed)mustbetomake
theworldabetterplace,oratleast(morecommonsensically)nottoharm
othersandtoalleviatewhateverillswecan,theultimategoalofIndianethics
(orHindu,JainandBuddhist,attheleast)istoescapetheworld.
Moksha

Sociologicallyorpsychologically,mokshaisthecuttingofallties.Philosophi
cally,itisliberationfromthecycleofbirthanddeath.(54)