Example Sentences: Ramayana: When Ravana argued that Sita was better off with him than Rama because he could provide far greater comforts than the pauper Rama, he was engaging in casuistry. Mahabharata: When Dhritarashtra remained reluctant to go along with Shakuni’s cunning schemes, Shakuni brought his Brahmin friend Kanika to use casuistry for convincing Dhritarashtra.
Example Sentences: Ramayana: When Vibhishana announced that he had come to surrender to Rama, the announcement got disparate reactions from various monkey leaders: some were receptive, some ambivalent, some suspicious. Mahabharata: The huge Kaurava army was filled with so many disparate elements that inner conflict was predictable, even inevitable – therefore, Bhishma asked his generals
Example Sentences: Ramayana: Knowing that Ravana didn’t care much for morality, Vibhishana based his case for returning Sita on pragmatism rather than on ethics. Mahabharata: Krishna’s pragmatism often acted as a balance between Yudhisthira’s idealism and Bhima’s hot-headedness. Bhagavad-gita: The Gita’s message is an excellent example of philosophy permeated with pragmatism.
Example Sentences: Ramayana: Despite his arrogance, Ravana knew that certain principles in the universe were immutable — and the blessings and the curses of the gods were one such thing. Mahabharata: Shakuni’s brahmana friend, Kanaka, told Dhritarashtra that no principle was immutable except the principle that all human beings need to pursue their own survival,
Example Sentences: Ramayana: Rama was pleased with the assiduity of the squirrel in carrying small dust particles for building the bridge, even if its actual help was insignificant as compared to that of the monkeys carrying giant boulders. Mahabharata: Arjuna’s assiduity in learning archery impressed Drona who reciprocated by teaching him secret weapons and skills.
Example Sentences: Ramayana: When Bharat declared that he had no part in exiling Rama and was determined to personally go to the forest to get Rama back, his earnest speech won the hearts of Ayodhya’s citizens. Mahabharata: Drona was pleased to see that all the Pandavas were earnest students, yet Arjuna’s blend of untiring commitment
Example Sentences: Ramayana: As Rama had always tried to be a model of rectitude, the thought of sending Sita away tormented him endlessly; he felt torn between his duty as a husband and his duty as a king. Mahabharata: Given his moral rectitude, Bhishma felt tormented because his vow to serve the Kuru king obligated
Example Sentences: Ramayana: Ravana’s face had a smug look as his demons set Hanuman’s tail on fire, but that look quickly changed to shock when Hanuman escaped and used that same burning tail to set Lanka on fire. Mahabharata: On seeing the smug smile on Duryodhana’s face as Shakuni won round after round in the
Example Sentences: Ramayana: On seeing Dasharatha’s meltdown at the imminent exile of Rama, everyone in the palace was tormented, except for Kaikeyi who seemed to have become stone-hearted. Mahabharata: When Ashwatthama saw that both his best weapons had been foiled, he had a meltdown and fled from the battlefield. Bhagavad-gita: Arjuna’s meltdown before the Mahabharata
Example Sentences: Ramayana: The more Ravana made his designs toward Sita explicit, the more Sita felt sickened to her core. Mahabharata: The Kauravas’ hatred of the Pandavas became explicit in the gambling match when they decided to disrobe Draupadi. Bhagavad-gita: The Gita is explicit in differentiating between the body and the soul by repeatedly stressing