NATALIYA YANCHEVSKAYA
Princeton University\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 nay@princeton.edu<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DHARMA AND TIME: FREEDOM AND DESTINY IN THE MAH\u0100BH\u0100RATA<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n What does it mean to act rightly in a universe governed by forces beyond one\u2019s control? This paper takes up that question as it unfolds in the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/em>, where the tension between human agency, moral order, and cosmic predetermination is never fully resolved \u2014 and perhaps never meant to be. At the heart of this inquiry stands the k\u0101lav\u0101da<\/em>, the epic\u2019s doctrine of time, which frames k\u0101la<\/em> not merely as the medium through which events occur but as an active, sovereign force that governs the universe and determines the varying manifestations of dharma across successive cosmic cycles (yuga<\/em>s). Following Y. Vassilkov\u2019s formulation of a \u201cphilosophy of heroic fatalism,\u201d this paper argues that time in the epic transcends conventional understanding to become the supreme arbiter of human destiny, predetermining the outcomes of all actions and rendering even deliberate moral choices part of a larger cosmic design. The paper addresses several interconnected questions: How do k\u0101la<\/em> and dharma<\/em> function within the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata<\/em>\u2019s cosmological framework, and what is the nature of their relationship? To what extent do the epic\u2019s heroes exercise genuine moral autonomy and freedom? What forces\u2014such as time and dharma<\/em>\u2014ultimately govern their actions, fate, and afterlife?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NATALIYA YANCHEVSKAYAPrinceton University\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 nay@princeton.edu DHARMA AND TIME: FREEDOM AND DESTINY IN THE MAH\u0100BH\u0100RATA What does it mean to act rightly in a universe governed by forces beyond one\u2019s control? This paper takes up that question as it unfolds in the Mah\u0101bh\u0101rata, where the tension between human agency, moral order, and cosmic predetermination is never fully […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2348","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2348"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2349,"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2348\/revisions\/2349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dicsep.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}