Review of Difficulty Of Being Good by Gurcharan Das – Lessons from Mahabharata!

Difficulty of Being Good is a profound book by Mr. Gurcharan Das. He is a Harvard graduate who has been the CEO of the multinational firm Procter and Gamble. He took early retirement from corporate life at the age of fifty and decided to take an academic break to study ancient Indian texts, especially the Mahabharata. His purpose was to search for answers to questions like why be good? What exactly is Dharma? How does one practice it and to what effect?

After spending six years with the Mahabharata, he focuses on the dilemmas and ambiguities inherent in it and correlates these to our current day lives and people. Through his analysis of this great ancient poem, he shows us how Duryodhana’s extreme greed and envy brought about the world’s collapse, but also how Yudhishthira’s excessive goodness had its limitations.

As the Mahabharata’s story unfolds in The Difficulty of Being Good, through characters like Bhishma, Yudhishthira, Arjuna, Draupadi, Duryodhana, Karna, Aswatthama, and Krishna, the author explores the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by these characters. He relates these dilemmas to our present lives and seeks answers to solve similar issues as an ordinary individual. In the flow of philosophical discussion, we also encounter thoughts from Western philosophers like Machiavelli, Plato, Socrates, Marx, Hegel, Feuerbach, Freud, and Nietzsche.

This book can be a guiding hand whenever faced with moral and ethical dilemmas of life, and it deserves a permanent place on your bookshelf.

Why Read Difficulty Of Being Good?

Most of us have secure childhoods. We are under the constant loving care of parents, teachers, and elders in the family. During this time, we are bombarded with idealistic virtues and there is a strong focus on being ‘right’ in everything we do. We are taught that any success we seek must be pursued by being ‘right’.

However, things change when we step into the ‘real world’ independently, away from our loved ones. This world is full of people who might not always behave in a ‘right’ way. Moreover, despite not being right, these people might seem more successful. This can be puzzling and frustrating. It becomes worse when you suffer despite being right and virtuous, while others enjoy luxuries. We all face these dilemmas and get disheartened with life. You even start feeling guilty for being good.

A deep analysis of the Mahabharata in this book helps you make sense of such situations. It helps us understand that Dharma is subtle and, as quoted in the book, ‘a man who wishes to profess goodness at all times will come to ruin among so many who are not so good.’ This book teaches us the limitations of being good and yet how to live a content, happy and virtuous life by facing life’s moral dilemmas without guilt.

Reading Insights

I have an average reading speed, and it took me 13-14 hours to read this book. There are 10 main chapters and a few supplementary ones at the beginning and end. Each chapter takes around 1 to 1 hour 15 minutes to read and focuses on one character from the Mahabharata, analyzing one moral and ethical trait. For example, it examines envy in the context of Duryodhana and status anxiety with Karna.

I recommend completing one chapter in a single sitting and then taking some time to contemplate. The language difficulty is average, so it would be helpful to have a dictionary nearby while reading. I wrote down small notes after each chapter, mentioning what trait is analyzed in it, making it easier to refer to specific chapters in the future. The book is translated into Hindi, Marathi, and Tamil and is easily found online for purchase.

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