When Realism Meets Renunciation: The Indian Idea of Power without Possession

In an age defined by possession—of land, technology, and narrative—the Indian idea of vairāgya (renunciation) invites a radical rethinking of power itself. Western realism, from Machiavelli to Morgenthau, equates power with control and survival; the Indian tradition, from the Bhagavad Gītā to Kautilya, regards restraint as the truest expression of strength. This article explores how India’s civilizational thought transforms realism from a doctrine of fear into a discipline of self-mastery. Through a comparative analysis of Machiavelli’s virtù and the Gita’s niṣkāma karma, it redefines statecraft as the art of acting without attachment—of pursuing interest without surrendering to it. In an international order fractured by greed and anxiety, the Indian model of power without possession offers a grammar of balance: sovereignty tempered by ethics, ambition guided by awareness.