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Amanitvam: a concept from the Bhagavad Gita applicable in medical ethics
  1. Aditya Simha
  1. Management, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics, Whitewater, Wisconsin, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Aditya Simha, Management, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Business and Economics, Whitewater, Wisconsin, USA; simhaa{at}uww.edu

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The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most ancient, venerated and popular religious texts originating from India.1 It provides an excellent insight into the tenets of Hinduism. The Bhagavad Gita was originally a part of the Mahabharata,2 and was essentially a dialogue about ethical dilemmas and moral philosophies between a teacher (Krishna) and a disciple (Arjuna). It is considered one of the foundational and most important books in Hinduism. The text provides a synthesis of spiritualism and dharmic ideas, and this text has found widespread acceptance across India, and in regions where there is a strong presence of an Indian diaspora or individuals who have embraced Hinduism.

There are several words and sentences in the Bhagavad Gita that are of pertinence to ethics in general, but I believe that there is one in particular, that has a great degree of fit with medical ethics. I refer to the word amanitvam. This word amanitvam refers to humility, and it refers to a concept that Krishna advised Arjuna to embody. I strongly believe that this particular word is deeply applicable in a medical ethics context, and indeed, may help physicians become more …

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Footnotes

  • Contributors AS is the sole author of this words article submission.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.

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