M. S. Subirthana
Assistant Professor
MOP Vaishnav College for Women (Autonomous), Chennai
The protection of traditional knowledge is an imperative and often acts as a guiding force for development. This paper tries to explore the influence and parallels of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata in the Modern Legal System. The two mythologies stand relevant even in today’s administrative and governance systems. The values and norms which have a strong foundation for law can be found in both mythologies. Religious principles, moral values and social norms were the plank on which laws were discharged in these epics. The modern legal system also explores these avenues where the discharge of justice is concerned. The modern laws hold religious principles and social constructs as primary in framing and discharging justice. In this paper the author analyses the role of mythology and how it has been adapted to the modern legal system, exploring the immediate region (South Asia) and also the world at large. The paper also tries to justify the importance and need for the protection of ancient knowledge as this knowledge acts as the base for development. The author uses an exploratory method to understand the depths of mythology and how it has been adapted to the modern legal system. The study is both descriptive and analytical. Numerous articles, book chapters, newspaper articles, and legal documents have been referred to by the author for the study.
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