Previous
Anthony
Professor Chakravarti is a professor at Babel. He is Robin’s advisor for his independent research project during his third year. Robin likes Professor Chakravarti, and Chakravarti often treats Robin more like a colleague than a student. Late in the novel, Chakravarti reveals that he is a member of the Hermes Society, and he helps Robin and Victoire stage a takeover of Babel. Chakravarti begins to believe, though, that Robin’s actions are motivated by personal vindictiveness, rather than devotion to a higher cause of justice. Chakravarti explains that Robin’s increasingly violent actions go against his guiding philosophy of ahimsa, or non-harm and nonviolence, which leads Chakravarti to leave the group.
Professor Chakravarti Quotes in Babel
The Babel quotes below are all either spoken by Professor Chakravarti or refer to Professor Chakravarti. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 28
Quotes
‘You know,’ said Professor Chakravarti, ‘you know, one of the most commonly misunderstood Sanskrit concepts is ahimsa. Nonviolence.’
‘I don’t need a lecture, sir,’ said Robin, but Professor Chakravarti spoke over him.
‘Many think ahimsa means absolute pacifism, and that the Indian people are therefore a sheepish, submissive people who will bend the knee to anything. But in the Bhagavad Gita, exceptions are made for a dharma yuddha. A righteous war. A war in which violence is applied as the last resort, a war fought not for selfish gain or personal motives but from a commitment to a greater cause.’ He shook his head. ‘This is how I have justified this strike, Mr Swift. But what you’re doing here is not self-defence; it has trespassed into malice. Your violence is personal, it is vindictive, and this I cannot support.’
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Babel LitChart as a printable PDF.
Professor Chakravarti Quotes in Babel
The Babel quotes below are all either spoken by Professor Chakravarti or refer to Professor Chakravarti. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 28
Quotes
‘You know,’ said Professor Chakravarti, ‘you know, one of the most commonly misunderstood Sanskrit concepts is ahimsa. Nonviolence.’
‘I don’t need a lecture, sir,’ said Robin, but Professor Chakravarti spoke over him.
‘Many think ahimsa means absolute pacifism, and that the Indian people are therefore a sheepish, submissive people who will bend the knee to anything. But in the Bhagavad Gita, exceptions are made for a dharma yuddha. A righteous war. A war in which violence is applied as the last resort, a war fought not for selfish gain or personal motives but from a commitment to a greater cause.’ He shook his head. ‘This is how I have justified this strike, Mr Swift. But what you’re doing here is not self-defence; it has trespassed into malice. Your violence is personal, it is vindictive, and this I cannot support.’
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
