वनवास

दण्डक अरण्यम् एषो अहम् इतः गच्चामि सत्वरः |

अविचार्य पितुर् वाक्यम् समावस्तुम् चतुर् दश || २-१९-११

"Immediately, I shall go to live in the forest of Dandaka for fourteen years, without reflecting on whether my father's words are right or wrong."- Ram to Kaikayi while accepting the exile of 14 years.

Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodhaya Kaand, Chapter 19, Verse11

 

 

The Hindu culture is full of stories of exile. Dashrath sent his son Ram in exile, Pandu (the father of Pandavs) self-imposed exile, Pandavs were cast out by their cousins, etc. In fact, other pre-Christianity, and pre-Islamic cultures also have stories of exile. Hephaestus from Greek mythology was sent in exile by his father Zeus, the greatest of all Norse gods Odin, was exiled from Asgard, the Kingdom of Norse gods. Is वनवास and casting out the same thing? 

In foreign mythologies when a God is exiled they are usually banished for life. All their heavenly privileges are taken away and have to live like a common man. They became ordinary from extraordinary. However, that is not the case in ancient Indian stories. In our culture, the punishment of exile holds a special place. Firstly, people were not only cast out of the kingdom but were sent in वनवास (to live in the forest). So, the punishment wasn’t just to not live in the castle but to go to the forest and survive. But why forest? Why weren’t they given the punishment to live with the ordinary citizens for the rest of their life? What is the point of “वनवास”? To understand वनवास we need to understand the concept of सभ्यता. 

 

Through Vishnu’s Matsya Avtar we learn the “मत्स्य न्याय” or “the law of the jungle”. It states that “बड़ी मछली छोटी मछली को खाती है". In the human world, it translates as the people in power suppressing the subordinate. In scientific terms, it resembles the food chain where the animal at the top of the food chain is called the king of the jungle. The whole point of civilization is to deviate from this animal-like behavior. In सभ्यता, the strong protect the weak. To be सभ्य means to help others without expecting anything in return. We are only able to help people when we can understand their problems, feel their pain, understand their needs. A king is supposed to help the प्रजा but if the king is unaware of the situation of others, and/or doesn’t feel gratitude towards his privileges then the entire kingdom is doomed. 

When someone is sent in exile in western mythologies, they are banished from their royal residence, whereas the punishment of वनवास is a metaphor for a place where you won’t get any help from सभ्यता and you have to survive on your own. It is a contrast between the comfort of the palace to the wildness of the forest, the facilities of easy living to the extreme labor throughout the day. In a royal residence, you have servants to provide you, but in the jungle, you are on your own. From living carefree behind the walls of a fort to being exposed to the extreme nature of the wild animals. In the civilization, you were a king, but in the jungle, you are an uninvited guest. From being respected to being hunted. वनवास is not just a physical journey but a realization of how privileged you are, a realization of your own truth.