Hindu Mythology and the Limits of Binary Moral Thinking

Abstract

This paper will explore how Hindu mythology presents a significant challenge to binary moral thinking that orders public and moral life, and offers an alternative moral imagination of ambiguity, context-dependent judgment, and interpretive plurality through the concept of dharma.

Drawing insights from the work of Bimal Krishna Matilal, Iravati Karve, A.K. Ramanujan, and Gurucharan Das, this paper will demonstrate how moral thinking in Hindu thought emerges not by opposition, but by dialogue and negotiation among competing claims.

It finally argues that Hindu mythology exposes the limitations of a binary moral system and proposes a more complex way of thinking about conflict, accountability, and justice. When examined in the context of Western moral frameworks, the contemporary relevance of Hindu myths for considering public life challenges and moral dilemmas deepens at a time of growing polarization.