Ram's Secret

by Devdutt Pattanaik

Positive rejection of the law of the jungle means that we empathise and include others in our quest for security and growth. This is dharma. Negative rejection of the law of the jungle means that we exploit others and include all in our quest for security and growth. This is adharma.

Dharma balances nature and culture, between the needs of animals and the needs of humans. The symbol of dharma is the bow, which the gods gave to Prithu. The bow indicates balance — the string cannot be left loose or too taut. Prithu is described as the first responsible king of earth. This is why the earth is called Prithvi.

in dharma, humanity is governed by duty, not desire. Rules are not ends in themselves; they are warning signs so that greed does not rear its ugly head.

There are four stations in society: Brahmana, the station involved with spiritual activities; Kshatriya, the station involved in administrative activities; Vaishya, the station involved in wealth-generating activities; and Shudra, the station involved in service-providing activities.

Ashrama ensures that not more than two generations utilised the earth’s resources at any one time. When the grandson is born, it is time to retire, eat less food than the householder. And when the great grandson is born, it is time to become a hermit, eat what the forest, not the field, provides.

One can look at Vishnu as a doctor who appears whenever there is a disease. He restores health but does not stop aging. Eventually, a patient will die. The doctor’s duty is to help the patient live a full and healthy life. This is what avatars do: balance human demands with nature’s needs for as long as possible.

Neither Sita nor Ram let the forest erode their values. Wherever they go, they hold on to the principles of dharma. They may have left Ayodhya, but Ayodhya never leaves them.

When law and tradition fail to uphold the principle of dharma, they need to be abandoned or changed. This thought is elaborated in the story of Krishna.