Volume-XII, Special Issue, April 2026 |
Niṣkāma Karma and the Categorical Imperative: A Comparative Study of the Ethics of the Bhagavad Gita and Kantian Moral Philosophy Shakespeare Malita, Independent Research Scholar, Nagarpota, Ulashi, Bagula, Nadia, West Bengal, India |
Received: 02.04.2026 | Accepted: 07.04.2026 | Published Online: 10.04.2026 | Page No: 402-412 | ||||
DOI: 10.29032/ijhsss.vol.12.issue.specialW.308 | |||||||
ABSTRACT | ||
This paper aims at providing a comparative philosophical discussion of the moral doctrine on Niṣkāma Karma as presented in the Bhagavad Gita and the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant as deontological. These two traditions provide powerful descriptions of duty-based ethics, and both stress the paramount position of intention in deciding morally valuable actions. According to the doctrine of Niṣkāma Karma, one should perform his/her duty without any attachment to the fruits of action. The Gita teaches that, though action is an inevitable part of human life, the highest moral and spiritual happiness comes when we act not out of self-interest but out of a love for something greater than oneself, and follow it with total commitment. This moral system combines the notions of duty, detachment, and devotion and is eventually directed at the liberation and correspondence to the cosmic order. By contrast, the moral philosophy of Kant is based on the concepts of rational autonomy and universal moral law. Kant asserts that the worthiness of an action as moral is not determined by its outcomes but its intention as a result of action. The key aspects of his ethics are the concepts of Good Will, Duty, and the Categorical Imperative where someone should always act based on maxims that can be generalized and in which humanity is always regarded as an end itself. This comparative investigation shows that there are great similarities between the two systems, especially their disregard of consequence-based ethics, and the common focus on intention as the source of moral value. Nevertheless, there are also some underlying distinctions. Where the Gita places the duty in the context of spiritual and metaphysical system with the goal toward liberation and devotion, the Kantian ethics is based on the reason and free will of rationality. The paper, therefore, points out the similarities as well as differences between these two great ethical traditions. | ||
Keywords: Niṣkāma Karma; Bhagavad Gita; Immanuel Kant; Categorical Imperative; Good Will; Duty for the Sake of Duty; Comparative Ethics; Duty‑based Morality |