The purpose of war is to enjoy peace. This means that if one cannot avoid war, one must minimise its length. – Prafull Goradia
War is often remembered for its devastation, but rarely for its restraint. India’s recent Operation Sindoor presents a radically different philosophy—one rooted not in conquest, but in dharma
It is mostly overlooked that the purpose of war is to enjoy peace. This means that if one cannot avoid war, one must minimise its length.
As a result, both sides keep indulging in killing and bloodshed but try to limit it as little as possible, without overlooking the purpose of fighting.
If we agree with this statement, the Indian armed forces deserve the highest of accolades. Not merely Param Vir Chakras, but even Paramatma Chakras. In three days, the country’s armed forces shook the Pakistani fajitas from their smugness. Contrast this lightning performance with the others that have been fought with or without results.
To confine ourselves to bipolar wars, in recent times, meaning the post-WWII era, we may begin with the Korean War, which lasted 380 days with only an inconclusive outcome. The Vietnam War (1955-1975) raged for well over 7,000 days and despite the might of America, it was the Vietnamese who won. Russia has been at war with Ukraine for over three years now, not to forget Gaza, where Israel has been at war with Hamas, which appears nowhere near conclusion.
Just think of the quantity of human blood spilt; the writer is unable to estimate that. What has been prevented and what achieved is also not quite clear. We began by stating that the purpose of war is to enjoy peace.
We may now add that the purpose of war, in the West, is to spill blood and more blood; it is a doctrine of death. The Soviet Union lost 20 million lives in WWII; in a mere 45 years from a superpower, it sank to being a no-power.
What a futile waste of human life; it almost sounds like a doctrine of death.Let us now move to a doctrine of life, i.e., the Hindu way, as demonstrated by the Indian armed forces in the present scenario. Seldom have targets been chosen specifically as well as accurately, and then hit with faultless precision, all in the matter of a few hours and days to let the enemy rest in quiet but fear, for the rest of the night.
The writer cannot remember any combatant in a previous war assuring the enemy that we have no plans to hurt either your civilians or soldiers. We are in search of only your cowardly terrorists.
You chose them to make warfare cheap for you. We now want you to pay for that act of yours. Remember, you have killed innocent civilians again and again through your acts of terror. Our aim is clear: no innocent person is to be targeted. And soldiers cannot be ignored. They too have a family of wives and children at their homes. This doctrine of life perhaps owes its origin to the belief in karma or even the fear generated by the doctrine of the transmigration of the soul.
This makes a potential killer pause to think whether he might be killing an innocent stranger or one’s own near or dear one in a past life.
The people in the West do not have to worry about these beliefs. They only have to present themselves in their graves for the divine to pass judgment, whether onwards to heaven or backward to hell, on Doomsday.
The West was quick to grasp that war and its weapons could also be a medium of business. The term “military industrial complex” has, over the years, become a hackneyed expression. This has not been an Eastern inspiration. However, we need not condemn it as adharmic. After all, every small country cannot manufacture weapons. At the same time, every country, big or small, does need defence. It needs weapons, a range of weaponry, and a modern military, and therefore, a larger country must make it for them.
Think of it, a large country like Pakistan does not manufacture even an automobile, which is why the streets of Lahore are adorned with donkey-drawn tongs (carts). But the sale and purpose of weapons are not necessarily adharmic acts.
What their importance would be depends on the intended purpose of their use and not the price of their purchase. If weapons of war are used for adharmic purposes, the discredit would be that of the user and not the seller.
This would be the verdict of a Hindu savant. This was recently demonstrated by India’s conduct of Operation Sindoor. India, in adherence to its civilisational responsibilities, showed this by focusing its actions on specific war objectives and has unilaterally paused the fighting with a strict caveat that any future act of terror on Indian soil would be treated as an act of war. For the Indian civilisation, war has always been an option of the last resort, and for the furtherance of dharma.
However, the presence of hostile neighbours has also served to keep India on its toes and constantly seek the modernisation of her armed forces, pursuing the latest advantages technologically and doctrinally as well.
It is also this reality that has led to the creation of a sophisticated industrial base that has enabled India to manufacture its modern combat aircraft, aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines, and satellite-enabled drones. – The Pioneer, 27 may 2025
› Prafull Goradia is a former member of Rajya Sabha and a well-known columnist.
Filed under: india, pakistan | Tagged: dharmic war, india-pakistan relations, islamic jihad, operation sindoor, state terrorism | Comments Off on The civilisational ethos of war – Prafull Goradia
BHARATA BHARATI 