Bhagavad Gītā and Modern Western Politics

Abstract

William Jackson’s "Bhagavad Gītā and Modern Western Politics" investigates how the ethical and spiritual teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā have been interpreted, appropriated, and sometimes contested in modern Western political thought. Tracing a spectrum of responses—from pacifist readings by figures like Gandhi to justifications of righteous warfare by American statesmen—Jackson maps how the Gītā’s discourse on duty (svadharma), action without attachment (karma-yoga), and divine purpose (īśvara-buddhi) enters political discourse as a flexible moral resource. The article highlights key historical moments, including Cold War rhetoric, civil rights activism, and international diplomacy, where the Gītā has served to inspire, complicate, or justify political actions. Jackson explores how thinkers from Emerson to Robert Oppenheimer, and from Reinhold Niebuhr to contemporary policymakers, have wrestled with the text’s paradoxes—particularly the call to act even when action entails violence. By charting these cross-cultural appropriations, Jackson raises important questions about scripture’s interpretive elasticity and its ethical role in shaping public life.