3. Many characters in the Mahabharata act in ways that others consider to be in violation of dharma.

Their actions contravene the governing norms of their social class, or their gender, or their particular
circumstances. Many of the characters cheat, dissimulate, and/or operate under elaborate disguises.
Choose one such character, and explore how his or her transgression reflects upon the larger concerns of
the text. Through a close reading of the text, show how your example helps to reveal or render explicit the
ethical assumptions in the epic.

A powerful action has far-reaching influence. In the Mahabharata, Arjuna controls great power
through his unmatched martial prowess, in addition to the divine weapons he wields. With the
power to end the war of the Kurus resting on his broad shoulders by the beginning of the Gita,
Arjuna chooses only to shrug, refusing to fight his old mentor. The dichotomy between the
leading warrior in the epic choosing defeat to avoid killing his elders brings to rise the conflict
between personal dharma and class dharma. As Krishna lectures Arjuna of yet another form of
dharma, adharma, the concern of how to resolve conflicts of dharma develops into an
unambiguous issue, taking the helm of the Bhagavad Gita section of the Mahabharta. Through a
three-way conflict of dharma in Arjuna throughout the Gita, the ethical conflict of choosing
which dharmic responsibility to follow takes full form, breaking Arjunas petrified state of
indecision and allowing him to finally act in accord with dharma.

Plot point 1: Arjunas conflict with killing his mentor specifically : personal dharma vs warrior
dharma (primary conflict point, emphasizxe how seriouis the issue is)

Plot point 2: Krishna convinces Arjuna that warrior dharma beats personal dharma (detach
yourself from your work, win or lose you got o heaven)

Plot point 3: To listen to Krisehna or not: goes holy mode to convince him of adharma, adharma
beats warrior dharma (god>all, imagine the endless gods springing from Krishna)

4/conclusion: first Krishna teaches Arjuna to realize to detach himself from his work as a
warrior, warrior dharma must take precedence over personal dharma

Then Krishna says the words of a god take precedence over warrior dharma as well, so adharma
beats warrior dharma

Adharma>warrior/social>personal