the speaking tree - When Egoistic, Selfish Leaders Ignore The Law
Sonal Srivastava
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Duryodhana was a good man. He was called Suyodhana, a great warrior.The 6th century CE epic poem Kiratarjunia, by poet Bharavi, extols Duryodhana's virtues. The poem starts with a spy being sent to Hastinapur by Yudhishtira to gauge public opinion against Duryodhana. The spy returns with stories of good governance from Duryodhana's kingdom.He reports, “Because of the virtues of that Kubera-like one whose fame has spread widely, who is compassionate and relieves distress, who brings about prosperity to all, the earth is made to flow and yields riches of her own.“ The spy says that: “Arrogance gone, Duryodhana always honestly shows off his servants as his dear friends, his friends (as) deserving respect equal to his brothers and his brothers as having the status of king conferred upon them.“ He also speaks of Duryodhana's great valour and right conduct.
Like Duryodhana, Ravana, too, was an able administrator, a vedic scholar, an ardent devotee of Shiva and a gifted musician. He was an affable ruler who administered a prosperous Lanka.
Despite their talent as capable administrators, Duryodhana and Ravana ended up being villains of their respective epics.Both were eventually killed by the heroes, the Pandava brothers and Sri Rama.Ravana was killed by Rama, who had will ingly gone into exile, relinquishing all rights to the kingdom, complying with his stepmother Kaikeyi's wishes. Duryodhana was hit below the belt by Bhima, against the rules of personal battle, yet the Pandavas were considered upholders of dharma with Sri Krishna on their side.
Why was it that despite good governance and public popularity, both these able characters are remembered as the great villains of Indic mythology? Their stories are quoted to discourage people from adharma and ignorance, while the Pandavas, Krishna and Rama are synonymous with exemplary personal conduct.
Duryodhana's capability as an able administrator is all but forgotten.However, Indic mythology exemplifies Ram Rajya established by Rama, the Maryada Purusha, in Ayodhya as a model of good governance. Is it because of Rama's selflessness in going into exile to keep the promise his father Dasharatha gave to Kaikeyi? Rama respected public opinion and even put his wife on trial, when public opinion turned against her.
Our epic villains are there to contextualise adharma, as examples of what not to do, when you are in power. They remind policy makers that public opinion has to be respected at all times and ego should not come in the way of following raj dharma, in doing what is right reater good of the people, even if for the greater good of the people, even if it means sharing property or giving space to other people's points of view.
Both Duryodhana and Ravana were hemmed in by their ego and lack of respect for other people's views and their right to life and property. Duryodhana wanted to keep entire Hastinapur to himself, while Ravana ignored Vibhishana's sound advice of releasing Sita and avoiding battle with Rama.
Duryodhana and Ravana became victims of their ego and pride, and did what they thought was the right thing to do. They became the `doers', who followed their will and imposed it on other people, too. They forgot that there were powerful forces beyond their control and that righteousness finds its way in the end. They ignored what the Supreme Consciousness in the form Rama and Krishna, was trying to tell them to follow the natural order of things selflessly .
Krishna says in the Gita, “Under the influence of false ego one thinks himself to be the doer of activities, while in reality all activities are carried out by nature as a natural process.“
Like Duryodhana, Ravana, too, was an able administrator, a vedic scholar, an ardent devotee of Shiva and a gifted musician. He was an affable ruler who administered a prosperous Lanka.
Despite their talent as capable administrators, Duryodhana and Ravana ended up being villains of their respective epics.Both were eventually killed by the heroes, the Pandava brothers and Sri Rama.Ravana was killed by Rama, who had will ingly gone into exile, relinquishing all rights to the kingdom, complying with his stepmother Kaikeyi's wishes. Duryodhana was hit below the belt by Bhima, against the rules of personal battle, yet the Pandavas were considered upholders of dharma with Sri Krishna on their side.
Why was it that despite good governance and public popularity, both these able characters are remembered as the great villains of Indic mythology? Their stories are quoted to discourage people from adharma and ignorance, while the Pandavas, Krishna and Rama are synonymous with exemplary personal conduct.
Duryodhana's capability as an able administrator is all but forgotten.However, Indic mythology exemplifies Ram Rajya established by Rama, the Maryada Purusha, in Ayodhya as a model of good governance. Is it because of Rama's selflessness in going into exile to keep the promise his father Dasharatha gave to Kaikeyi? Rama respected public opinion and even put his wife on trial, when public opinion turned against her.
Our epic villains are there to contextualise adharma, as examples of what not to do, when you are in power. They remind policy makers that public opinion has to be respected at all times and ego should not come in the way of following raj dharma, in doing what is right reater good of the people, even if for the greater good of the people, even if it means sharing property or giving space to other people's points of view.
Both Duryodhana and Ravana were hemmed in by their ego and lack of respect for other people's views and their right to life and property. Duryodhana wanted to keep entire Hastinapur to himself, while Ravana ignored Vibhishana's sound advice of releasing Sita and avoiding battle with Rama.
Duryodhana and Ravana became victims of their ego and pride, and did what they thought was the right thing to do. They became the `doers', who followed their will and imposed it on other people, too. They forgot that there were powerful forces beyond their control and that righteousness finds its way in the end. They ignored what the Supreme Consciousness in the form Rama and Krishna, was trying to tell them to follow the natural order of things selflessly .
Krishna says in the Gita, “Under the influence of false ego one thinks himself to be the doer of activities, while in reality all activities are carried out by nature as a natural process.“
