The Mahabharata treats dharma and karma not as fixed formulas, but as living principles tested in the crucible of human experience. Dharma appears as subtle and contextual, repeatedly shown through conflicts between personal duty, social obligation, and a higher moral order. Different figures embody distinct visions of what is right: Krishna’s pragmatic guidance, Yudhishthira’s uncompromising truthfulness, Arjuna’s anguish between warrior duty and familial love, and the vows and loyalties of Bhishma and others. The epic thus portrays dharma as something to be discerned amid ambiguity, where even noble intentions can lead to tragic outcomes when detached from a broader sense of justice and compassion.

At the same time, the narrative unfolds under the steady law of karma, the moral causality that links action and consequence across time. Deeds, whether rooted in greed, envy, loyalty, or devotion, generate effects that ripple through individual lives, families, and entire kingdoms. The downfall of the Kauravas, the suffering of the Kuru house, and the devastation of the war are presented as the cumulative result of long-standing adharma, where earlier choices harden into destiny. Karma is not merely external outcome; intention and attachment matter, and actions performed as duty rather than for selfish gain are portrayed as spiritually transformative.

The Bhagavad Gita, set on the threshold of battle, crystallizes this interplay of dharma and karma. Arjuna’s paralysis before the prospect of killing his kin becomes the setting for a teaching on svadharma, the duty proper to one’s nature and role. Krishna urges action aligned with righteousness, yet free from clinging to results, articulating a vision of nishkāma karma in which one acts as an offering rather than for personal reward. In this way, the epic suggests that dharma provides the compass for right action, while karma ensures that no act is lost, weaving individual choices into a larger moral and spiritual order that both tests and refines the soul.