What Is Evil And Why Does It Exist?

Duryodhana tells Sri Krishna:
"I know what virtue is, but it is not my inclination to practice it. I know what vice is, but refusing it is not up to me but Him. I do as I am told by some ‘god’ seated in my heart."
The word “evil” isn’t really a word used in the tradition of Vedanta. Nor would Vedanta ever describe an individual as “evil.” The reason for this is because Vedanta doesn’t view evil as an innate personal defect. Vedanta would argue that perpetrators carry out evil deeds as a result of their conditioning, and being under the spell of maya—that is, an extreme and distorted interpretation of reality and what they believe they have to gain from it.
Swami Dayananda, says:
Why should anybody be given to adharma i.e. the contravening of universal laws? It is because of the inner pressure. A person is given to crime because of this pressure, and this pressure is much greater in some people due to their background. The habitual offenders are those who are not able to find a way to manage this pressure. To label them is not helpful to anyone. No person is a born-criminal; he is made into a person given to crime. There is no evil. In Sanskrit, we do not have a word for evil. There is dharma-adharma, and puṇya-pāpa or good karma/bad karma, but no concept of evil. View attachment 271056