⚔️ Do your duty
Arjuna is a warrior, so his duty is to uphold what is right. Krishna says people must do their own duty and not run from it.
Hinduism: Origins and Their Impact on the Community » The Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana as Guides to Dharma
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Hinduism (4RS1/2C), 1.2
- What the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana teach, and how they model dharma
- What these teachings mean for mukti and dharma today
- How Hindus use the texts in decisions, worship, guidance and teaching
- Different Hindu views about the authority of the texts
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Unlock This CourseSacred stories as models of dharma
Last lesson you met shruti and smriti. Two of the best-loved smriti texts are the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana. Many Hindus meet them long before they read any Veda. They do not just list rules. They show dharma (right duty and right living) being lived out, with real struggles and real choices.
Key terms:
- Bhagavad Gita: 'Song of the Lord'. A 700-verse conversation inside the Mahabharata (the great epic) between the warrior Arjuna and Krishna.
- Ramayana (recap from Love, Sex and Relationships in Hinduism): the epic poem about Rama, Sita and the defeat of the demon king Ravana.
- Mukti: liberation, being set free from the cycle of birth and death. It is the spec's word for what you know as moksha.
The Bhagavad Gita
The Gita is set on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, where two branches of one family are about to fight. The warrior Arjuna looks at the enemy lines and sees relatives and teachers. He is overcome and puts down his bow. He asks whether it can be right to fight at all.
His charioteer, Krishna, answers. Hindus often read this answer as God teaching a person in a crisis. You already know who Krishna is, so here we look at what he teaches.
🌾 Without attachment to results
In chapter 2 Krishna says people have a right to act, but not to the fruits of their actions. Act well, then let go of worry about the outcome.
The Gita also explains the paths to liberation: the way of action (karma yoga), the way of knowledge (jnana yoga) and the way of loving devotion to God (bhakti yoga). Krishna praises devotion strongly, and in the last chapter asks Arjuna to give himself over to God. So the Gita offers a path for people of different temperaments.
The Ramayana
The Ramayana was composed by the sage Valmiki in Sanskrit. In the 16th century the poet Tulsidas retold it in Awadhi, a language of northern India, in a poem called the Ramcharitmanas. That made the story easier for ordinary people to hear and sing. You already know the story of Rama, so here we focus on how it models dharma.
Every main character shows one kind of dharma:
- Rama: the dutiful son and fair king, who keeps his father's promise.
- Sita: faithful and brave, showing loyalty and strength in hardship.
- Lakshmana: the loyal brother who chooses to share Rama's exile.
- Bharata: the brother who refuses to enjoy a throne that is not rightfully his.
- Hanuman: the servant of Rama, a model of bhakti and selfless service.
Hindus use these characters as role models for family life, friendship, leadership and devotion.
What the teachings mean for mukti and dharma today
🌟 Mukti
The Gita teaches that acting without attachment, knowing the atman (the true self) and loving God can each lead towards mukti. It says daily work can be part of the journey, not just a distraction from it.
🏠 Dharma
Both texts teach that dharma depends on your role and situation. A parent, a doctor and a leader each have different duties. For Hindus today this means asking, 'What is my duty here?'
The Ramayana adds that dharma is lived in relationships, such as keeping promises, being loyal and serving others. Many Hindus say that doing this well, with devotion, builds good karma and moves a person towards mukti.
How Hindus use the texts
- Personal and ethical decision-making: a Hindu facing a hard choice may think of Arjuna's crisis and ask what dharma requires, or what Rama would do.
- Worship: verses of the Gita are chanted and the Ramcharitmanas is sung and recited, at home, in the mandir and at festivals. Many Hindus honour Rama in bhajans (devotional songs).
- Guidance: people turn to the Gita in times of grief, stress or doubt, reading a chapter for comfort and direction.
- Teaching: parents tell the stories to children, teachers give talks on the verses, and plays such as the Ram Lila pass them on to whole communities.
Different understandings of authority
Hindus do not all give the texts the same authority.
- In theory, shruti ranks above smriti. The Gita and Ramayana are smriti. Yet they are the best known and most loved, and many Hindus feel the Gita carries the spirit of the Upanishads, so some treat it with almost the same respect.
- Literal or symbolic. Some Hindus take the Kurukshetra battle as a real event. Others read it as a picture of the struggle inside every person between right and wrong. Gandhi, for example, read the Gita in this symbolic way.
- The guru. Many Hindus believe a text is best understood through the teaching of a guru. Different teachers have written different commentaries on the Gita. Shankara and Ramanuja both did, and they came to different conclusions.
Common mistakes
- Saying the Gita is shruti. It is smriti, even though it is held in very high regard.
- Saying Hindus must read the battle literally. Hindus disagree about this.
- Re-telling the whole Rama story. In an exam, use the story only to show a point about dharma.
Exam-style question
(a) Outline two ways in which Hindus use the Bhagavad Gita. [4 marks]
(b) Explain why the Ramayana is important for Hindus today. [6 marks]
(c) 'The Bhagavad Gita is the most important Hindu text.' Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other (divergent) points of view and your own reasoned opinion. [10 marks] (Paper 2, AO1 and AO2)
Model answer
(a) One way is that Hindus use it for guidance in a crisis (1), for example by reading it when they are unsure of their duty, like Arjuna on the battlefield (1). Another way is in worship (1), because verses are chanted in the home and mandir (1).
(b) The Ramayana is important because it shows Hindus what dharma looks like in action (1). Rama keeps his promise, Sita is loyal and Hanuman serves with devotion, so each acts as a role model (1). It is told to children, which passes on Hindu values to the next generation (1). Tulsidas's version is sung and recited in worship, so it is part of devotion as well as story (1). It is performed in Ram Lila plays, which brings whole communities together (1). Many Hindus believe following its examples builds good karma on the way to mukti (1).
(c) Plan. For: it teaches duty without attachment to results (1); it covers karma, jnana and bhakti paths to mukti (1); it is widely read and used for personal guidance (1). Against: it is smriti, so in theory shruti ranks higher (1); some Hindus say the Vedas and Upanishads are the root of everything (1); many Hindus learn most from the Ramayana or from their own guru. Conclusion: the Gita is probably the most widely used teaching on how to live, but 'most important' depends on whether you value authority or everyday use. A strong answer picks a side and gives a reason.
Exam tip
In 'Explain why ... is important' questions, link each reason to what Hindus believe or do, not just what is in the text.
Recap
- The Gita records Krishna teaching Arjuna to do his duty without attachment to results, and sets out paths towards mukti.
- The Ramayana, by Valmiki and retold by Tulsidas, shows each character modelling a dharma.
- Hindus use both texts for decisions, worship, guidance and teaching.
- Hindus differ on authority: shruti ranks above smriti in theory, readings can be literal or symbolic, and gurus shape understanding.