Among the earliest Sanskrit texts that contain explicit rules about what is allowed and disallowed in battle is the Mahābhārata. In this article, respected scholar Greg Baily first presents Hindu ethics of war as they are found in this famous epic. He then attempts to describe the underlying ethos behind them, and how they relate to the development of the image of the kṣatriya, the epitome of the warrior in ancient India.

Greg Bailey, formerly Reader in Sanskrit, is an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Linguistics and Culture, La Trobe University, Melbourne. He has published translations and studies of the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Bhartṛhari’s Śatakatrayam and books on early Buddhism, Australian politics and many articles on Sanskrit literature.

Please read the article here.