V3I5P90

Mahābhārata as an Instrument of Indigenous Education, Sustainable Values, and Moral Pedagogy

Colonel Prof Dr N N Murthy^1*

Abstract

The Mahabharata is commonly considered a religious and literary epic, although its use as an academic system of native Indian education has not been given much scholarly study. This paper examines the Mahabharata as a tool of aboriginal learning which enhances sustainable values, virtue and moral learning. Based on a qualitative and interpretive method, the paper examines some of the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita narratives and sloke and evaluates how certain moral codes like dharma, non-violence, benevolence, unselfish action and nature in harmony are passed on in terms of storytelling and dialogue. The paper also explores how the epic heroes like Yudhiṣhtira, Arjuna, Karna, Draupadii and Bhishma are moral exemplars, showing that character is made through reflection, struggle and ethical decision. Krishna’s resilience in Draupadī; the price of unbridled ambition in Duryodhana.

Pedagogical framework of the epic, such as dialogue, experiential learning, self-reflection, and ethical questioning, brings forth the whole indigenous model of education that incorporates intellectual, emotional, moral, and spiritual development. The results show that Mahabharata contains eternal and viable system of value-based education, which can respond to the modern issues about the decline of morals, society, and environmental disasters. The paper will reach the conclusion that a moral pedagogy of the Mahabharat can be incorporated into the contemporary educational setting and help to create morally responsible, social-conscious, and compassionate citizens.

Keywords:

Mahābhārata, Indigenous Education, Sustainable Values, Moral Pedagogy