INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY FIELD

Abstract:    The paper examines the influence of Dharma and Rajdharma, articulated in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, on modern Indian polity. Although contemporary India is founded on constitutionalism, democratic principles, and legal-rational authority, its political morality and public expectations remain deeply informed by the ethical consciousness of the epics. By defining the philosophical foundations of Dharma as a moral, social, and cosmic order, and Rajdharma as the normative duties of rulers, the paper demonstrates how these frameworks shaped ancient models of leadership and continue to guide modern political thought. Through an analysis of Rama’s idealised kingship, Krishna’s contextual statecraft, Vidura’s administrative ethics, and Yudhishthira’s moral dilemmas, the study highlights how governance in the epics integrates virtue, justice, strategic judgement, and accountability. It argues that while the institutions of the Indian state are secular, the ethical expectations surrounding governance are profoundly shaped by civilizational narratives.