From Epic to Applied Psychology: A Conceptual Mapping of Sanskrit Psychological Constructs and Their Contemporary Relevance
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: This conceptual paper examines whether four Sanskrit epic constructs hold structural resonance with four established areas of psychological science. It responds to a growing interest in integrating Indian Knowledge Systems with psychological theory, extending that integration into underexplored epic material. Sanskrit's own literary and grammatical heritage has long been recognised in linguistics and aesthetics; this paper asks whether its psychological vocabulary deserves comparable recognition. Following a conceptual-article design (Theory Synthesis), the paper pairs dharma saṅkaṭa with moral cognition, tapas-nirvṛtti with self-regulation, rasa with affective science, and karma yoga with motivation theory. Four criteria—definitional precision, scope-matching, textual traceability, and precision over popularity—guided construct selection. Constructs were drawn from named episodes in the Mahābhārata, Kumārasambhava, and Buddhacarita, rather than from Sanskrit thought treated generally. Each pairing shows meaningful structural alignment without collapsing into a single unifying model. Applied implications extend to education, therapy, policy, and Gen-Z digital burnout, illustrating the pairings' contemporary relevance. Each pairing was illustrated through a textual episode and a contemporary vignette, grounding abstract resonance in concrete cases. The paper offers four testable propositions for future empirical validation. It also proposes a shared vocabulary bridging Sanskrit psychological thought and contemporary science, without claiming either tradition anticipated or exhausts the other.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Author: Manoj Kumar Mallick
Language: English
Topic: Indian and Buddhist Studies
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214321925