The Bhagavad Gītā and Consumerism: A Philosophical Critique of Desire, Knowledge, and Detachment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31305/rrijm.2026.v11.n02.010Keywords:
Bhagavad Gītā, Consumerism, Desire, Detachment, Nyāya, Sāṃkhya, Vedānta, Epistemology, Vairāgya, Niṣkāma karmaAbstract
The Bhagavad Gītā, a shining center of Indian wisdom, does not merely preach—it reveals. On the field of Kurukshetra, it opens the human heart and studies the restlessness within; how icchā (desire) blossoms into tṛṣṇā (craving), and how only vairāgya (detachment) can heal the ache of endless wanting. In our age—dazzled by consumption, where identity is branded and happiness sold in installments—the Gītā speaks with striking clarity, cutting through illusion like light through fog. This reflection reads the Gītā as a mirror for the modern mind. It draws on Nyāya’s discipline of clear knowing, Sāṃkhya’s rhythm of the guṇas that move thought and feeling, and Vedānta’s serene insight that the Self is pure, radiant consciousness. Together they show that our culture of consumption is not only an economic habit but a spiritual confusion—a case of avidyā, the ignorance that mistakes the temporary for the eternal, and the object for the Self. Against this fever of wanting, the Gītā offers a calmer rhythm; niṣkāma karma, the art of action without attachment. To act fully, yet remain free; to move through the world without being moved by it—this is the Gītā’s quiet rebellion against consumerist hunger. It is not escape, but balance; not denial, but awakening. Thus, in an age of excess, the Gītā becomes a handbook for freedom, teaching that true wealth lies in awareness, not accumulation; that peace begins not in possession, but in participation; and that to live wisely is to act without being consumed by what one consumes.
References
[1] Mukundananda, S. (2022). Bhagavad Gita: The song of God (Commentary). Rupa Publications., India.
[2] Gambhirananda, S. (Trans.). (2018). Bhagavad Gītā: With the commentary of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya. Advaita Ashrama.
[3] Aurobindo, S. (1922). Essays on the Gītā. Sri Aurobindo Ashram Press. Pondicherry.
[4] Baudrillard, J. (1998). The Consumer Society: Myths and Structures. London: Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526401502
[5] Fromm, E. (1976). To Have or To Be? New York: Harper & Row.
[6] Gandhi, M. K. (1946). The gospel of selfless action: Or, the Gita according to Gandhi (M. Desai, Ed. & Trans.). Navajivan Publishing House.
[7] RadhaKrishnan, S. (1993). The Bhagavad Gītā. HarperCollins. New Delhi.
[8] Śaṅkara. (1910). Bhagavad Gītā Bhāṣya (Trans. S. Sitarama Sastri). Madras: The Theosophical Society.
[9] Vācaspati Miśra. (1982). Sāṃkhya-tattva-kaumudī (Ed. Har Dutt Sharma). Motilal Banarsidass. Delhi.
[10] Vātsyāyana. (1984). Nyāya-sūtra Bhāṣya (Ed. Anantalal Thakur). Indian Council of Philosophical Research. Delhi.
[11] Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 139–168. https://doi.org/10.1086/209154 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209154
[12] Bhattacharyya, S. (2011). Indian Philosophy and the Concept of Desire. Sanskrit Pustak Bhandar. Kolkata.
[13] Bhawuk, D. P. S. (2011). Spirituality and Indian Psychology: Lessons from the Bhagavad-Gītā. Springer. New York. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8110-3
[14] Jha, G. N. (1913). The Nyāya-sūtras of Gautama with Vātsyāyana’s Bhāṣya. Allahabad: Indian Press.
[15] Tagore, R. (1931). The Religion of Man. Macmillan. London
[16] Tripathi, R. (2015). Desire, Detachment and Dharma: Philosophical Perspectives from the Bhagavad Gītā. DK Print world. New Delhi.
[17] Mishra, V. (2019). Desire and Liberation: Indian Philosophy and Psychoanalysis. Routledge. New York.
[18] Mathur, N. (2010). Shopping Malls, Credit Cards and Global Brands: Consumer Culture and Lifestyle of India’s New Middle Class: Consumer Culture and Lifestyle of India’s New Middle Class. South Asia Research, 30(3), 211-231. https://doi.org/10.1177/026272801003000301 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/026272801003000301
[19] Dhillon M. (2023). Weaving Together the Ancient and the Contemporary: Intersections of the Bhagavad Gita with Modern Psychology. Pastoral psychology, 1–13. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-023-01070-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-023-01070-2
[20] Sharma, A. (2024). Consumerism on the Rise and the Significance of Indian Traditional Values: A Perspective for Change. Philosophical Papers Journal of Department of Philosophy, XX, 278–295. https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/5223
[21] Satpathy, B (2024). The Bhagavad-Gita is a Good Guide to Responsible Business Practices. Journal of Informatics Education and Research, 4(2) 945-951 https://doi.org/10.52783/jier.v4i2.863 DOI: https://doi.org/10.52783/jier.v4i2.863
[22] Jeste, D. V., & Vahia, I. V. (2008). Comparison of the conceptualization of wisdom in ancient Indian literature with modern views: focus on the Bhagavad Gita. Psychiatry, 71(3), 197–209. https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2008.71.3.197 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2008.71.3.197
[23] Sarkar, J. S. (2025). Consumerism And the Epistemology of Desire (Icchā & Tṛṣṇā): An Indian Philosophical Inquiry into The Cognition of Want. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Educational Research, 14(11/3), 71-77
[24] Mohanty, J. & Dalai. A. (2024). Sustainability and the Bhagavad Gītā: a harmonious approach to ecological and ethical responsibility. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Review, 8(3), 301-311. https://doi.org/10.37602/IJSSMR.2025.8318 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37602/IJSSMR.2025.8318
