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Comparison of ancient classics(Mahabharata) with modern scriptures(Guru Granth Sahib), though both of them may be spirited in religion, raise difficulties because of different historical times geographical locations, place and situation. The origin of the Mahabharata goes back to several centuries before Christ whereas the Sikh Scripture, Guru Granth was written in 1604 A.D. .Nevertheless, for the sake of clarity and elucidation,an exercise in bringing up some points of comparison and others of contrast has been undertaken in guarded manner.

The aim of this paper is to seek answers to some questions, e.g., whether the Mahabharata and the Guru Granth were inclined to support the theory of theocracy or they both strengthened welfare concept of State. This involves a discussion of the relevance or irrelevance of our Scriptures to the Modern democratic culture for a clear understanding of contemporary politics and historical evidence. This paper further examines whether, on the whole, the principles of governance as outlined in Mahabharata and Guru Granth have validity for the modern Indian Society and whether the scriptural formulations provide us a coherent, logical and consistent theory of the state to suit the requirements of the Indian Nation.

Bharathi S. Rai & Manjula K. T in their article “Re-inventing Karna of the Mahabharata with a Renewed Perspective- A Review of Literature”emphasized that The Mahabharata epic is a treasure trove of moral, ethical, and life-changing truths that can lift a man's life out of a state of turmoil.In Mahabharata; dharma is law and law is dharma; dharma is the supreme law of nature; it regulates and sustains the universe. Dharma is the essence of existence, and it is also the core theme of the Mahabharata .There is a necessity in society to identify and value the extraordinary qualities of great accomplishments without considering lineage.  To understand the social & cultural environment of our contemporary society vis-a-vis the previous 'yuga' ; we need to  have a deep insight into the value system propagated during Mahabharata times.[1] Chittaranjan Roy also believes that Mahabharata has its modern, contemporary relevance for the present generation in search of ideals. It provides generally, the foundations and norms on which human societies can be restructured. On the ethical plane, The Mahabharata describes the eternal conflict between ‘Dharma’ and ‘Adharma’ with the ultimate victory of good over evil.[2] Gurdeep Kaur  has written that in Sikhism unlike Ancient Scriptures, there are no corpus of civil and political laws of divine sanction, nor rigid theories or dogmatic pronouncements on statecraft. Sikh Gurus confined themselves to the basic principles of ethics and morality for the uplift of humanity to be followed by the society and the state. In Sikhism, the ruler and the state are identifiable and so when the Gurus discuss or criticize the ruler, they imply the state in its functional aspect.[3]

The Mahabharata as an epic is also a political treatise which can be classed as a work on polity. It also serves as the enormous foundation upon which the majestic structure of ancient Indian religion and thought is built.[4]The rules of administration for both normal and critical times are strikingly similar in the Mahabharata and the Guru Granth and are derived from two distinct sources, as identified in ancient works on polity and modern political theory. Both texts appear to be governed by ethical and realistic values.

The Mahabharata and the Guru Granth are examples of living literatures which have powerfully influenced the minds of the rulers as well as the ruled.They are treatises on political righteousness on the one hand and statecraft on the other,with differing emphasis. They are relevant to all ages and conditions because they deal with eternal issues of life and politics. Both of them established supremacy of spirit over matter of ethics over politics.The Raj-dharma of the Mahabharata and the Sikh concept of dharam –yudh show how power is to be used in normal and critical times to take the society in the right direction. It is, therefore, prescribed that the ruler should be able to differentiate between good and bad in order  to use force for right ends. Thus, both emphasized  integrity and character of those who wield power.

The Mahabharata's entire purpose is to strengthen faith in the victory of good over evil through the subjugation of adharma and through the manifestation of eternal principles of goodness and truth. In The Sikh concept of Dharmyudh(righteous war ) ;only a spiritual and enlightened person can determine and guide the use of force in the right direction, since he has risen above narrow selfish interest which is the main impediment in the path of righteous war. Therefore, Sikhism emphasises Bhakti tenets in order to provide the proper direction for the use of power.To put it another way, it is impossible for a person who lacks moral and spiritual principles to decide when it is appropriate to employ force. In this connection, Guru Gobind Singh applauds a person who applies his mind on war in the name of God.[5]

Both Sikhism and classical Hinduism, accorded primacy to the society over the state.The prime significance of the Mahabharata over the modern political theory comes from the sole fact that the Epic itself advances the view that the state emerged within the Society. The common thread that binds the two is the inherent distrust of the state because of its coercive power and the principle that it is the society which is the master and the state is the servant.The state was viewed as a tool of politics in the Mahabharata to serve the spirit of dharma. A ruler is responsible for maintaining peace on one hand and upholding the code of ethics and morality on the other.[6] The Mahabharata recognizes subject’s right to replace the tyrant king if there was no other remedy left to them. In Sikhism also,the subjects have been given the right to raise their voice against the oppression of the ruler. Sikhism regarded the state as a permanent feature of the universe but kings are temporary. If they fail to carry out their responsibilities in a morally upstanding manner, they can and should be removed by the subjects.

Guru Nanak condemned the brutalities of the rulers of his time without any fear and hesitation and called the people not to tolerate their tyranny.[7]The divine origin of the kinship is stated in the Mahabharata and the state is believed to have come into being due to the inspiration from God. Sikhism also believes in the theory of the divine rights to the kings. The Sikh Gurus were of the view that rulers must perform their functions as a mandate from God. Guru Nanak’s assertions that only those were qualified to rule were fit to do so and that those who conferred authority on the undeserving were fools.[8] These comments imply that the unjust rulers have no right to rule. The state in the Epic is a welfare state ( Yogakshema) which not only stands for police work,but for all-round prosperity of the people. The end of the state is the welfare of the people, which includes food, shelter, medical care, and security. It stands for the fulfillment of fourfold objectives of human life dharma(morality), artha (economy), kaam (pleasure),moksha (salvation). Bhishma teaches king Yudishtra that the ruler must feed his subjects and ensure that none of the subject should sleep hungry any day.In the Sikh concept of  the state only such a person is fit to be a king who takes proper care of his subjects. It is King’s duty to ensure that each and every person in his dominion gets the things of bare necessity of day to day, such as,food,clothing,shelter and employment. Guru Nanak commends such a ruler.[9]

Sikhism also believes like Mahabharata that the state should create conditions which may help the subjects to strengthen their personality. A perfect king must, therefore, possess divine wisdom and always consider the concerns of the subjects.[10]In a way, the prescription of Sikh State is also that of a modern State.The Mahabharata introduced the idea of royalty as a trust. If the monarch misappropriates public funds and uses them for his own benefit, he will be judged to have committed sin and will go to hell. According to the Bhagwad Gita, a man is only allowed to accumulate wealth to fulfill his basic needs but if he claims more than the desired, he will be punished in the court of God.[11] There are numerous verses in Gurbani where the licentious lifestyle of higher class people is strongly denounced ; and  are cautioned to avoid using dishonest means .[12] According to Guru Nanak, if a piece of clothing is stained with blood, how can someone who suck  the blood of the poor remain stain-free?[13] In the same manner it is mentioned in the Bhagwat Gita that if someone eating without his own labor , it’s like eating  stolen bread.[14] The foundation of the Sikh way of life is also primarily the principle of kirat (honest, hard work) .[15]

In the Mahabharata, Bhishma explains to Yudhistra about his general responsibilities and emphasizes  on the latter's obligation to uphold justice for his subjects. For hearing the complaints and answers of disputants in judicial suits,he should always appoint persons possessed  of wisdom and knowledge of the world,as the just  state completely rests upon a proper administration of justice.’[16] According to Sikhism also,dispensing justice is the foremost duty of a ruler. The ruler can become a true ruler only when he delivers justice to his subjects.[17] In the Epic, Bhishma is said to have told king Yudhishtra that there is no other eternal duty more obligatory than the protection of the subjects.Similarly,in  Sikhism,it is the holy duty of the ruler to protect his subjects and ensure their security.[18]

In the Mahabharata and Guru Granth, the question of violence and non-violence has been treated in terms of the purposes for which it is used.Violence or non-violence are merely means, not ends in themselves.If nonviolence is unsuccessful, using  force for a good cause is justified.[19] In the Bhagwad Gita,Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to take up arms in order to protect the values of  dharma and to perform his duty against the selfish and unrighteous exploiters.[20] Human nature being what it is,a completely non-violent society is impossible.Some kind of violence is inevitable. In order to check the forces of disorder and to prevent anti-social forces to succeed,dand( Punishment) is essential and the ruler has to justifiably perform the police functions.Guru Nanak,like Lord Krishna in the Mahabharta, was also not against war for righteous cause. To quote:The braves have the right to die, as long as they do so for an honorable cause.[21] Guru GobindSingh also stressed the necessity of using force to uphold righteousness [22]. It is clear from the Sikh history that when the sixth and the tenth Gurus chose the path of force,it was done only to defend righteousness and also as the last alternative after the heroic sacrifices made by the fifth and ninth Gurus were ineffective in softening the cold hearts of the Mughal emperors who ruled India at the time.[23] Guru Gobind Singh wrote Chandi di var,dealing with battles of Goddess Durga to upheld righteousness and justice.[24]

While comparing the Mahabharata with the Guru Granth,one has to be careful in understanding the distinction between varna and caste.In the early Sanskrit classics, there are references only to the varna order which in later English interpretation has been equated with the caste system.The confusion between these two statements arises from the fact that the caste system is actually  a degeneration of the original varna order. When the Mahabharata refers to the varna classification of society, it does not imply any hierarchy,i.e., higher and lower in society, but the caste system generally involves hierarchy, discrimination, injustice, exploitation,and so on.Hence when the social reformers like Swami Dyanand or Guru Nanak attacked the caste system, they were justified because after the 12th century A.D., there was a deterioration of the varna system.No basic Hindu scripture , including the Mahabharata,sanction an outrageous treatment of the untouchables who were always the worst victims of social injustice based on caste inequality.[25] Even Mahabharata states that moral excellence of an individual is not to be judged with reference to his caste,status or occupation.[26] The classical Sanskrit texts maintain that everybody is born Shudra but it is the Karmas or the attributes of character that places a person in the category of either a Brahmin,Kshatriya,Vaishya,or shudra. If there has been any discrimination based on untouchability ,it is purely on hygienic grounds and not on grounds of birth or occupation.The whole varna order was conceptualized on the basis of horizontal,not vertical, functional distribution of social responsibility. However,at the same time,the factor of heredity has been given due importance in the consideration of classifying society into different functional groups.Even the modern genetics recognizes the heredity factor while choosing occupations.[27] Sikhism rejects the caste system without casting an aspersion on the Mahabharata Varna system.Sikhism regards all human beings as equal and created by God. None is good or bad by birth .It is the actions which make a man good or bad. [28]

There is a common preference for the interaction of religion and politics in Mahabharata as well as in the Sikh religious texts. Religion is supposed to be the guiding philosophy of the state.Yet the two cannot be described as theocratic states because the essentials of a theocratic state are,one ,that the state should adopt a particular religion and ask the people to follow it; second,in a theocratic state other religious communities have a subordinate status. They are not full citizens. Third,they all prescribe to a particular holy book and prescribed punishment for those who do not follow it;and fourth ,there is an official hierarchy in the religious domain.None of these criteria apply to either Hinduism or Sikhism. However, religion at the same time, also acts as a powerful force for ethical ideals to rule over social, political, and economic life.

In a study of this nature, author has adopted descriptive and analytical methodology in a historical perspective.

The Mahabharata and Guru Granth, both rejects the idea of a secular state in it western orientation.A secular state is one in which politics and religion are completely segregated.The state has nothing to do with religion.However, the traditional Indian concept of secularism,i.e., sarva dharma sambhawa is the ideological plank of both Hinduism and Sikhism.In this context,religion is interpreted in wide,human, universal sense and not in its narrow,fundamentalist,and sectarian approach.The commonness between Ancient Sanskrit classics, the Mahabharata with the Sikh Scripture lies in the basic position of the relationship between ethics and Politics. In both, ethics, sourced in religion, is the guiding philosophy of the state and yet, the idea of a theocratic state has been rejected. Dharma and dharam are almost synonymous and the guidelines for the state are subjected to its dictates. Both accord primacy of dharam over the state and discard the theory of divine rights of the king. The concept of an absolute unlimited kinship is commonly unacceptable and the people are accorded the right to resist the authority of the ruler. While in Hindu tradition, duties are assigned in accordance with Varna System, the Sikh Granth finds the caste system anti ethical to the concept of equality and fraternity. Protection and welfare of the people are the highest goals in the two broad theories.

Primary Sources Arjan Dev, Guru, Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahibji, (Sri GurmatPress, Standard Pagination,1604) Translation Singh,Gopal,Guru Granth Sahib,in four Vols.( Gurdas Kapoor and sons,Delhi,1964) Gobind Singh,Guru,Unique Drama( Bachitar Natak) and Akal Ustat,Translated by Sant Singh Sekhon,( Guru Gobind Singh Foundation,Chandigarh,1968) Secondary Sources 1.Dhillon,G,S.,Sikh Religion and History,( Roxana Printers,Chandigarh,1991). 2.Goel,B.S.,Srimad Bhagawad Geeta,( Third Eye Foundation of India,Delhi,1986). 3.Kaur,Gurdeep,Political Ideas of the Sikh Gurus,( Deep and Deep Publications,Delhi,1990). 4.Puri,Sunita,Advent of Sikh Religion: A socio-Political Perspective,( Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt.Ltd.,New Delhi,1993). 5.Radhakrishnan,S.,Religion and Society,( George Allen and Unwin,London ,1956). 6.Radhakrishnan ,S., Eastern Religion and Western Thought,( Oxford University Press,Delhi,197 5). 7.Sankhdher,M.M.The Concept of Welfare State,( University of Delhi,1974). 8.Singh,Khushwant,A History of The Sikhs,2 Vols,( Princeton University Press,New Jersey,1978). 9.Walli,K.,The concept of Ahimsa in Indian Thought,( Bharata Monisha,Varanasi,1974).

1. Bharathi S. Rai & Manjula K. T (International Journal of Management, Technology, and Social Sciences (IJMTS),(ISSN: 2581-6012, Vol. 6, No. 2, August 2021)
2. Chittaranjan Roy, in edit book “Politics in India” ,M.M.Sankhdher & Gurdeep Kaur,( Deep and Deep Publications,2005).
3. Gurdeep Kaur,in Political Science Annual 1998-1999( Deepa and Deep Publications,2000).
4. See M.M.Sankhdher,Reflections on Indian Politics( New Delhi1974),p.316.
5. Dasam Granth Krishnavatar,p.570.
6. See B.P.Roy, Political Ideas and Institutions in the Mahabharata(Calcutta,1975).
7. Sri Guru Granth Sahib( hereafter SGGS),p.1288.
8. Ibid.,pp.1039,1286.
9. Ibid.,p1331
10. See J.S.Bains,”Political Ideas of Guru Nanak”,in the Indian Journal of Political Science( Oct-Dec.1962),p.318
11. Radhakrishnan,Eastern Religion and Western Thought ( Delhi,1975),p.364
12. SGGS,P.1379To quote Sheikh Farid; "Rukhi sukhi khaike,Thanda pani piu,Frida dekhi prai kopri na tarsae jiu".
13. Ibid.,p140
14. See M.M.Sankhdher,Understanding Gandhi Today( New Delhi,1996),p.75
15. SGGS,1087
16. See B.P.Roy,op.cit.,p.231
17. SGGS,p.1087.To quote Guru Amar Das“While sitting on the throne of truth administer justice and this will unite thou with the True one.”
18. Ibid.,p376.To who can Thy servant now pay obeisance,WhenThou,the king, preservest HIS honour
19. Kashelya Walli, “The concept of Ahimsa in Indian Thought “(Varanasi,1974),p.32
20. Quoted by S.Radhakrishnan, “Religion and Society”( London,196),p.202
21. Ibid.,p.579- 580.
22. Dasam Granth,Chandi Charitra,p.89
"O God, grant me this boon;Never should I turn away from good deeds;Nor when fighting adversity should I be afraid; But with a firm resolve, should I achieve victory;Over my heart should I have complete control.O Lord, this is what I crave of Thy Name,When finally time comes for me to rest,Let me die in the thick of the battle"
23. In Zafarnama, Guru Gobind Singh boldly asserts his mission of Tegh ( force/Sword). To Quote: "When all the peaceful means to upheld righteousness fail,then it is right and lawful to take the sword in hand".
Ibid.,Zafarnama,p.1390
24. Cf. SangatSingh,The Sikhs in history ( New Delhi,1996),p.83While completing Krishna Avtar,he emphasized that "Dharam (the rule of law) cannot be formed without political authority, and without dharam, society was an amalgam of slime.”
25. Bhagwad Gita,XVIII,46.Cf.Sunita Puri, Advent of Sikh Religion ( New Delhi,1993),p.110
Not the accident of high birth, not strict observance of rules pertaining to the duties of social grade but the inner psychological attitude of devotion for God, is alone capable of conferring emancipation upon the individual"
26. Mahabharata,XXX,21,2.Cf.Sunita Puri,Ibid.,p.410. “Truthfulness, charity, forgiveness, ethical conduct, self-control and mercy ,where these are, he is Brahmin. The presence of a forementioned virtues makes one a Brahmin and there absence a Shudra”
27. See M.M.Sankhder,”Misunderstood Manusmiriti”,in India Post ,U.S.A.,April 1994
28. SGGS,p.349- p.1330.
“Recognise Lord’s light within all and Inquire not the caste for there is no caste in HIS world.Again: Ask not the caste of anyone, Ask in whose heart God has come to dwell,Caste is known there by the deeds by one.”