[Advaita-l] kshatriya dharma according to manu smriti and its interpretation today?

[Raghav Kumar Dwivedula]

Yes Subbu ji thats an important aspect of puNya and pApa.

That is, a foot soldier fighting in the Kaurava army incurs little pApa.
This is generally considered a valid legal defense even in today's
military  dharma.

The Nuremberg trials acquitted most soldiers of the Nazi army who actually
operated the gas chambers which killed the Jewish people in large numbers.
They were only 'following superior orders'.

Superior orders, often known as the Nuremberg defense, lawful orders or by
the German
<https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_language&hl=en-IN&tg=46&tk=9309332883976972469>
phrase Befehl
ist Befehl ("an order is an order"), is a plea
<https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plea&hl=en-IN&tg=52&tk=9309332883976972469>
in
a court of law that a person—whether a member of the military
<https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military&hl=en-IN&tg=55&tk=9309332883976972469>
, law enforcement
<https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement&hl=en-IN&tg=58&tk=9309332883976972469>,
a firefighting
<https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighting&hl=en-IN&tg=61&tk=9309332883976972469>
force,
or the civilian
<https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian&hl=en-IN&tg=64&tk=9309332883976972469>
population—not
be held guilty for actions which were ordered by a superior officer
<https://googleweblight.com/i?u=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officer_%28armed_forces%29&hl=en-IN&tg=67&tk=9309332883976972469>
or
an official.

But that still dies not explain how Duryodhana and other policy makers too
got svarga due to absence of cowardice in war. I remember an old quote of
Narada telling an aghast Yudhishthira  who was shocked to see Duryodhan in
svarga that Duryodhana got svarga for showing no cowardice in battle. Thats
the puzzling part - that an adharmik king showing bravery in fighting an
adharmik battle to usurp what does not belong to him, still gets a puNya
phala viz., a taste of svarga on account of merely dying in battle.








On 19-Jan-2018 8:54 PM, "V Subrahmanian" <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com> wrote:

> There is one more aspect that is to be considered. A low-rank soldier or
> perhaps some higher rank members in the army will not have any say on
> whether the yuddha is dharmika or not. They will have to simply obey the
> Supreme leader and fight. So, in such a scenario even if their side is on
> the adharma, still their death fighting will fetch them viragati. I think
> this is reasonable. Only the one for whose sake they fought, if he has
> taken the side of adharma, will get the adverse effect thereof.
>
> regards
> subbu
>
> On Fri, Jan 19, 2018 at 4:28 PM, Raghav Kumar Dwivedula via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>> Namaste Jaldharji
>> There is a small digression I wish to take here...viz., there is a general
>> premise that dying in battle gives svarga or vIragati etc for the
>> kxatriyas. Your quotes from mahabharata also illustrate thus.  Does this
>> apply to those who die fighting on the adharmik side as well?
>>
>> We see Duryodhana reaching svarga (well, at least for a short holiday)
>> inspite of fighting on the adharmik side.
>>
>> Is it not strange that the mere fact of dying on the battlefield gives
>> svarga prApti, irrespective of fighting on the adharmik or dharmik side?
>>
>>  Bhishma's exhortation is only a reminder about this strange fact. Because
>> there is no specific reference or claim by Bhishma that they were fighting
>> for dharma therefore they get the vIragati.
>>
>> Can you clarify this?
>>
>> Om
>> Raghav
>>
>>
>>