STOIC VIRTUE, EUDAIMŌNIA, AND MAHĀBHĀRATA
In this post, we will familiarize ourselves with the art of Stoic virtue, arête, the Greek conception of Eudaimōnia which states that happiness depends upon being virtuous. We will also consider the concluding verses of the Great Indian Epic, Mahābhārata, which also underscore the value of living a righteous life.
Let’s begin by briefly encapsulating the gist of the Stoic philosophy. Building on the Greek philosophy, Stoicism states that the entire goal and purpose of human life (summum bonum or ‘supreme ideal’) is to achieve eudaimōnia, which roughly translates to ‘happiness’ or ‘flourishing’ through living a life of virtue (arête in Greek and in Latin, virtus–for which the English word ‘virtue’ is an unsatisfactory translation). According to Christopher Gill, a key figure in the revival of interest in Stoicism in the modern times, the key message of Stoicism is that all human beings are capable of achieving happiness by their own efforts. And this is because happiness or flourishing (Eudaimōnia in Greek) depends ultimately not on acquiring external things such as money or status etc….but on developing virtue or virtues. The virtues are the set of qualities that are essential for human life, qualities such as wisdom, justice, courage and temperance. Stoics believe that all human being are fundamentally capable of developing these virtues. In that sense, we all have basis of creating our own happiness. It is up to us or within our power. They also believe that virtue alone is good in a complete sense and virtue alone is sufficient for happiness. Since developing virtuously is in our own hands, according to Stoicism, our happiness depends upon us, and not on others.[1]
The eudaimōnic happiness is not a mood or feeling of elation (which will be fleeting at best) but rather an abiding state of felicity emanating from living a life that is worth living—which for Stoics would be a life of virtue.
This was the Greek model of an ideal life—integration of soul along the lines of reason—passions and desires following. Greeks accordingly define happiness as the ‘exercise of human faculties along the lines of excellence. Reason must be the charioteer and it is precisely the reason alone marks us off as different from the animal world.
Stoicism maintains that human beings are rational and the best use of rationality is to develop ethically. In other words, the best possible state of the rational mind is moral virtue (arête = moral excellence). And virtue is regarded as it’s own reward and vice, it’s own punishment (having missed the opportunity to be virtuous). Ancient Stoics count four cardinal virtues—wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance. Wisdom is the primary virtue, from which all other virtues follow. In Indian wisdom, as we know, this wisdom is referred to by the word viveka, the ability to differentiate between the real and the unreal, kernel from the husk.
Please note the similarity here with the Bhagavad Gītā’s conception of yoga: Śrī Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that, Yoga is excellence in action (योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् २।५० yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam 2.50)
On this point of virtue, we see marvelous convergence of all teachings of the world’s great spiritual traditions. Summing up the Greek thought, Cicero concludes his Stoic Paradox 1 stating, ‘surely to live well and happily, is nothing else than to live virtuously and rightly.
Ved Vyāsa concludes the great Epic, Mahābhārata, signaling its most important teachings in the following three verses:
हर्षस्थान सहस्राणि भयस्थान शतानि च
दिवसे दिवसे मूढम आविशन्ति न पण्डितम
harṣasthānasahasrāṇi bhayasthānaśatāni ca /
divase divase mūḍham āviśanti na paṇḍitam //
There are thousands of occasions for joy and hundreds of occasions for fear;
These affect only ignorant but never the one who that is wise;
ऊर्ध्वबाहुर विरौम्य एष न च कश चिच छृणॊति मे
धर्माद अर्थश च कामश च स किमर्थं न सेव्यते
ūrdhvabāhur viraumy eṣa na ca kaś cic chṛṇoti me /
dharmād arthaś ca kāmaś ca sa kimarthaṃ na sevyate //
Raising my arms I say aloud but no one listens to me:
From a life of Righteousness comes Wealth, also Pleasure;
So why not live a righteous life?
न जातु कामान न भयान न लॊभाद; धर्मं तयजेज जीवितस्यापि हेतॊः
नित्यॊ धर्मः सुखदुःखे तव अनित्ये; जीवॊ नित्यॊ हेतुर अस्य तव अनित्यः
na jātu kāmān na bhayān na lobhād; dharmaṃ tyajej jīvitasyāpi hetoḥ /
nityo dharmaḥ sukhaduḥkhe tv anitye; jīvo nityo hetur asya tv anityaḥ //
For the sake neither of pleasure, nor of fear, nor of greed should any one cast off Righteousness. Indeed, for the sake of even life one should not cast off Righteousness;Righteousness is eternal. Pleasure and Pain are not eternal;
Jiva is eternal. A body is not so.
— Svargarohana Parva, Mahābhārata Book XVIII.5.48-50
Thus ends what is probably the greatest epic of humanity, Mahābhārata. A. R. Orage, the great English critic (whom G B Shaw called the greatest literary critic of the last 100 years!) who spend 15 years studying this great Epic, used to say that Mahābhārata is a book that contains objective truths.
He had the following half-verse from the Bhagavad Gītā (2.16) inscribed on his gravestone:
The unreal has no existence;
the Real never ceases to be.
nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः
[1] See: Stoicism Today 2014: How to relate wisely to others by Chris Gill. YouTube Video, Retrieved July 4, 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W90Gki_WCjI&t=922s
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