Ethics, Duty, and Statecraft in Classical Indian Texts: A Holistic Framework for Ethical Governance

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_4How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Dharma; Nīti; Rajya-nīti; Ethical Governance; Indian Knowledge Systems; Statecraft

Abstract

The classical Indian political thought is an extremely integrated and holistic vision of governance where ethics (niti), duty (dharma), and statecraft (rajya-niti) exist not as distinct and competing entities but as supportive and indivisible principles. According to this tradition, political power is never morally indifferent in nature; instead, its legitimacy is firmly grounded in the observance of ethical behavior, social responsibility, and an unwavering dedication to the general good of society. In contrast to many political traditions in the modern world, particularly those shaped by realist or utilitarian influences that often enforce a rigid separation between morality and the exercise of power, ancient Indian political philosophy consistently places ethical legitimacy at the core center of sovereign authority. From this perspective, power is justified only when it is exercised in accordance with moral law and social duty, ensuring harmony between authority and responsibility. To construct an analysis of how classical sources such as the Arthashastra, the epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the juridical text Manusmriti, and Buddhist and Jain canonical literature made unique yet convergent contributions to theories of ethical governance, this paper critically examines these texts. All these writings expound ideas of leadership responsibility, selfless administration, fairness, prudence in the exercise of power, and diplomacy rooted in moral considerations. Although they differ in narrative form and philosophical emphasis, they share a fundamental belief that rulers, as moral agents, are bound by dharma and accountable both to society and to a higher ethical order. Based on close textual analysis, the study demonstrates that classical Indian political philosophy offers a sophisticated framework capable of balancing pragmatic realism with moral responsibility. The paper further examines the relevance of these classical principles in contemporary society, arguing that they provide valuable normative guidance for public administration, leadership ethics, and policy-making, especially amid crises of legitimacy, corruption, and declining public trust.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sarveen Kaur Sachdeva
AU  - Krati Sharma
AU  - Kuldip Sharma
AU  - Manoj Kumar
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/15
TI  - Ethics, Duty, and Statecraft in Classical Indian Texts: A Holistic Framework for Ethical Governance
BT  - Proceedings of the Anubhuti 4.0: Discourses in Indian Knowledge Systems – Pathways of Culture, Inclusion, and Sustainability (ICIKS 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 26
EP  - 51
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_4
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-615-4_4
ID  - Sachdeva2026
ER  -