--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Mahabharata reminds us that it is…" description: "\"“The Mahabharata reminds us that it is natural and desirable for human beings to want happiness and pleasure as they seek to be good. Kama is one of th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adc/gurcharan-das-40873_buddhism_the-mahabharata-reminds-us-that-it-is-na_661383.jpg" --- # The Mahabharata reminds us that it is natural and… ![“The Mahabharata reminds us that it is natural and desirable for human beings to want happiness and pleasure as they seek to be good. Kama is one of the legitimate goals of human life. The Christian denial of physical pleasure, especially sexual pleasure, is happily absent from the epic and most…” quote by Gurcharan Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adc/gurcharan-das-40873_buddhism_the-mahabharata-reminds-us-that-it-is-na_661383.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adc/gurcharan-das-40873_buddhism_the-mahabharata-reminds-us-that-it-is-na_661383.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adc/gurcharan-das-40873_buddhism_the-mahabharata-reminds-us-that-it-is-na_661383.jpg) > ““The Mahabharata reminds us that it is natural and desirable for human beings to want happiness and pleasure as they seek to be good. Kama is one of the legitimate goals of human life. The Christian denial of physical pleasure, especially sexual pleasure, is happily absent from the epic and most ancient Indian texts. So is the ‘thou shalt not’ approach, which makes one feel guilty, and turns one off the moral project. The notion of dharma as it emerges from the Mahabharata is a plural one. Being plural makes greater demands on one’s reason, for human objectives sometimes conflict with each other, and this forces one to choose. The attraction of a clean ethical theory like Utilitarianism is that it attempts to resolve moral issues on the basis of a single criterion. Pluralism is more complex but no less rational. One needs to order different virtues in a hierarchy in order to help one to choose in the case of a conflict.”” [Gurcharan Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gurcharan-das/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human life seeks pleasure and duty; moral choices require balancing multiple virtues, not a single rule. **In simple terms:** Life is a mix of desires and duties needing thoughtful hierarchy. Key Takeaway Prioritize virtues to resolve conflicts. Themes ethics pleasure duty pluralism conflict resolution Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - public policy - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts moral pluralism hierarchical virtues Questions to Reflect On - Which virtues guide your toughest choices? - How do you rank conflicting duties? A Different Perspective Single‑criterion ethics can oversimplify complex lives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Dharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dharma/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pluralism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pluralism/) ## Related quotes > [“ Dharma is easiest to spot by its absence: the Mahabharata employs the pedagogical technique of teaching about dharma via its opposite, adharma ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gurcharan-das/dharma-is-easiest-to-spot-by-its-absence-the-mahabharata-employs-the/) [Gurcharan Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gurcharan-das/) > [“Dharma, the word at the heart of the epic, is in fact untranslatable. 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