Bhagavadgītā, Roman Ingarden and the concept of responsibility

This article provides an analysis of the Hindu concept of action (karman) in relation to the concept of responsibility proposed by Roman Ingarden in his paper “On Responsibility. Its Ontic Foundations” (Ingarden 1983). Hindu moral theory is discussed using selected chapters of the Bhagavadgītā. It will be shown that the concept of responsibility, as understood by Ingarden, is a good tool for the analysis of Hindu moral theory. Through the analysis it will also allow me to specify some similarities and differences between Hindu ethics on one hand and that proposed by Ingarden on the other.