THE DHARMA OF JUSTICE IN SANSKRIT EPICS DEBATES ON GENEDRE VARNA SPECIES BY RUTH VANITA OXFORD - 2026

In this book, I show how in the Mahabharata, there are teachers of dharma from all four varnas. Sanjaya the charioteer, a manual worker classified as a shudra, plays a pivotal role. He instructs the king about the geography of India and instructs him on dharma. In the Gita, he is the parallel to Krishna as the external charioteer or guide, and as eternal witness (sākṣi), the inner self. He is the only one apart from Arjuna who sees the divine universal form. The Gita concludes with his beautiful expression of rapture as he remembers this vision. No wonder his name (which means "with victory"), like Arjuna's, remains one of the most popular Indian names. THE