Atmanirbhar Bharat: The Philosophical Art of War in an Anarchic Age – Realism, Raja dharma, and the Sovereign Self in Geopolitics

Abstarct In geopolitical realism's anarchic self-help arena, where destructive AI capabilities will dictate not just military outcomes but economic, civilian, and global dominance, Atmanirbhar Bharat demands uncompromising self-reliance in military artificial intelligence to safeguard sovereignty. Lagging in AI-enabled lethal autonomous systems, command-and-control, and electronic warfare risks technological vassalage, as frontrunners extend battlefield superiority into trade, innovation, and negotiation leverage. Realism, tilted toward power as destruction's arbiter (Mearsheimer, 2001; Morgenthau, 1948), insists the world heeds only the militarily potent; the UN's declining stature underscores self-reliance, echoing Waltz's (1979) survival imperative. Framed through Kautilya's indigenous Danda, the Bhagavad Gita's karma yoga, and Shanti Parva's rajadharma, this paper argues India's AI military prioritization via sustained R&D, public-private partnerships, and resource allocation over energy vulnerabilities is dharma: securing strategic autonomy, deterring conflicts, and commanding the AI arms race. Absent binding regimes like the NPT, such mastery transforms multipolar threats into Vijaya, positioning India as Global South leader. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; AI; Defense; Atmanirbhar; Technology; Ramayan; Kautilya; Shanti Parva