Volume II,Issue IV, March 2026
Volume-II, Issue-IV, March, 2026 |
Received: 13.03.2026 | Accepted: 14.03.2026 | ||
Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.04W. | |||
ভগবদ্গীতার নিষ্কাম কর্ম এবং ইমানুয়েল কান্টের ‘কর্তব্যের জন্য কর্তব্য’— এই দুইয়ের তুলনামূলক অধ্যয়ন প্রিয়াঙ্কা পাল, অতিথি অধ্যাপিকা, দর্শন বিভাগ, ময়নাগুড়ি কলেজ, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
A Comparative Study of Nishkama Karma in the Bhagavad Gita and Immanuel Kant’s Concept of “Duty for Duty’s Sake”
Priyanka Paul, Guest Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Maynaguri College, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
The idea of selfless action in the Bhagavad Gita and Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy is compared philosophically in this essay, with special attention to the connection between Niskāma Karma and Kant’s “duty for duty’s sake” theory. Both faiths, in my opinion, provide deep ethical frameworks that stress acting morally without regard to one’s own benefit or the effects on others. The Bhagavad Gita, which is credited to Vyasa, presents the idea of Niskāma Karma, which exhorts people to carry out their responsibilities with devotion to the divine order and without regard for the results of their deeds. On the other hand, Kant’s deontological ethics, which he outlined in his groundbreaking work Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, contends that moral worth is found in behaving out of obligation under the guidance of rational moral law as opposed to motivation or anticipated results. The conceptual underpinnings, parallels, and discrepancies between these two ethical viewpoints are examined in this paper. Although moral purpose and the inherent worth of responsibility are emphasized in both frameworks, they originate from different metaphysical and cultural settings. While Kant bases moral obligation on cognitive autonomy and the universal concept of the categorical imperative, the Bhagavad Gita places ethical behaviour within a spiritual worldview where selfless duty leads to liberation and harmony with cosmic order. By examining these convergences and divergences, the paper highlights how Eastern and Western ethical traditions offer complementary insights into the nature of moral responsibility and selfless action. In the end, the paper makes the case that a comparison between Kantian duty and Niskāma Karma enhances modern ethical discussion and offers a more profound philosophical explanation of moral behaviour driven by principle rather than self-interest. | ||
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