NATIONALISM IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EPICS: A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA

Abstract

Nationalism has always been a debated topic among social scientists and historians. While some opine that Nationalism is a Western concept and India never had any concept of nationalism in ancient times, others view that Nationalism was very much present in India, starting from the inception at Vedic times and continuing in the Puranic, epic, and modern times. This article is a critical study of the concept of nationalism present in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.