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Steve Bannon, Dharma Warrior: Hindu Scriptures and the

Worldview of Trump's Chief Ideologue
Steve Bannons appreciation for the Bhagavad Gita makes more sense than you
might think.

By Akhilesh Pillalamarri
February 03, 2017

TheHinduscriptures,especiallytheBhagavadGita,havefascinatedmanypublicfiguresintheWest
forthelasttwocenturies.AldousHuxleyhadtheGitainmindwhenhewroteBraveNewWorld.
HeinrichHimmlersawhimselfasadiscipleofitsteachings.AndRobertOppenheimer
famouslyquotedthescripturewhenthefirstnucleardevicewastestedatLosAlamos:NowIam
becomeDeath,thedestroyerofworlds.(BhagavadGita11.32).

TheBhagavadGitaisadialoguefromthemouthofgodincarnateinhumanformasKrishnatothe
warriorArjunaonabattlefield,exhortinghimtorememberthehigherdutyofestablishingdharma
intheworldoverallelse.TheconceptofdharmaandtheteachingsoftheGitacontinuetoinfluence
prominentfiguresintheWest,includingStephenKevinSteveBannon,thechiefstrategistforU.S.

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PresidentDonaldTrump.ThisisdespitethefactthatBannonhasspokenofthepowerofJudeo
ChristiannormsinunderpinningthecapitalismthatledtothegreatnessoftheWest.

AccordingtoaformerfriendofBannons,heusedtotalkalotaboutdharmahefeltverystrongly
aboutdharmaoneofthestrongestprinciplesthroughouttheBhagavadGita.Dharma,adifficult
termtotranslatefromSanskrit,canmeanrighteousness,butalsoduty.Everyhumanmustfollow
hisorherowndharma(duty,calling)inaccordancewithhisorhernatureandsocialdutiesinorder
forsocietyasawholetobefollowingthepathofdharma(righteousness,order)andbeinlinewith
thecosmicorderofthings:

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Itisbettertoengageinonesownoccupation,eventhoughonemayperformit
imperfectly,thantoacceptanothersoccupationandperformitperfectly.(Bhagavad
Gita18:47)

ThroughoutHinduscripturesandepics,individualsareportrayedaseitherfightingforand
upholdingdharma,boththroughselfactualizationandactualsociopoliticalormilitaryaction,or
goingagainstit.Nonetheless,asacharacterfromtheHinduepictheMahabharatapointsout,
Dharmaissubtle.Itissituational,anddifficultforanyoneindividualtosaywhatexactlytheiror
anyoneelsesdharmaisexactly.

GivenBannonsworldview,whichseestheworld,andespeciallytheWestasbeinginastateofmoral
andeconomiccrisisresultingfromthelackofmooringintraditionalvalues(inotherwords,
adharma,orlackofdharmaoralignmentwithasacredworldview),hisinterestindharmaisnot
surprising.

IntheMahabharata,theHinduepicthattheBhagavadGitaissituatedin,thegreatKurukshetra
Warthatoccursatitsclimaxisnotmerelyadynasticdisputebetweencousinsforakingdom,butan
epicbattlefortheageswithmetaphysicalconnotations.Inotherwords,itisadharmayuddhaor
warfordharma.Thisiswhythedivinegetsinvolved:

Wheneverandwhereverthereisadeclineindharma.andapredominantriseof
irreligionatthattimeIdescendMyself,todeliverthepiousandtoannihilatethe
miscreants,aswellastoreestablishtheprinciplesofreligion,IMyselfappear,
millenniumaftermillennium.(BhagavadGita4.74.8).

ThisapocalypticworldviewisfrequentlyfoundinBannonsthought.Ordinaryconflictsarethus
partsofandtranscendedbyissuesfargreaterthanthemundane.Whoisbannedorwhois
appointedtotheU.S.SupremeCourtisirrelevant,ornotallthatimportant,inthelargerschemeof
things,whichistopushtheworldtowardthewarfordharma.IntheMahabharata,thePandavas,
thegroupofcousinswhowerewronged,soughttoavoidwarforyearsinordertosparethelivesof
millions,butwereeventuallyconvincedthattheymustgotowar,notforthemselvesortheirstolen
kingdom,butforthestakeofdharmaitself.

ComparethiswithBannonsthoughts.Bannonsaid:Wereattheverybeginningstagesofavery
brutalandbloodyconflictfightforourbeliefsagainstthisnewbarbaritythatsstarting,thatwill
completelyeradicateeverythingthatwevebeenbequeathedoverthelast2,000,2,500years.When
oneseesoneselfaspartofacosmicmoment,thoughtsofpopularity,approval,orrightandwrong
vanish,andonebecomesaninstrumentofahighermetaphysicaldrama,akeythemeofthe

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BhagavadGita.Amanofdharmagoesforward,trustinginfate,andnotworryingaboutthefruits
(karmaphala)ofhisactions:

Thesewarriorsarrayedinlines,opposingyourmen,evenwithoutyou,willhave
perished!Arise,therefore,andseizeuponyourglory!Withyourfoeconquered,enjoy
thrivingkingship!Ihavedestroyedyourenemyalready:serveasmytool,O
ambidextrousarcher!(11.3211.33).

BannonseemstohaveaworldviewinaccordancewithsomeoftheteachingsoftheGitathatseethe
worldasacosmicbattlefield,possiblyimaginghimselfaswarriorofdharma,adaptedaroundhis
ideathatthedefenseofcapitalismandChristianityshouldbemilitarizedandseeninthecontextofa
greatclashofcivilizationsandideas.Butlikedharma,theBhagavadGitaisalsomorecomplexand
subtlethanmerelybeingtheblueprintforwarfarewagedfortheestablishmentofdharma.Italso
preacheswisdom,restraint,nonviolenceinmanycases,andthethoughtfulnessthatcomesfrom
deepmeditation.Anditsaysthatthewisedonotseeanydifferencebetweendifferenttypesof
beings,whetherthehighorthelow(5.18).

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