Wanted: Demon slayers

A couple of weeks ago, a young industrialist known for his outspoken support of a fledgling political party quipped that corruption was like a thousand-headed monster. The striking imagery apart, his simile released a new monster in our midst - quite like what a popular song from the Hindi film Peepli Live did a few years ago. The song which likened inflation to a dayan hit an instant chord with many, apart from notching up the number of sorceresses and witches of which we need to steer clear.

Hercules slaying the Hydra.Wikimedia Commons

Corruption and inflation took centre stage this election. Standing beside the triumvirate of proposed leaders, they played spoiler to the best made plans of those standing in the pulpit just as demons and dayans are wont to do. But, more interestingly, the two new additions to the family of subversive beings have helped reveal what Indian society fears most today.

Monsters, dragons, asuras, rakshasas, dayans, yakshis and such beings have walked the earth since the beginning of time. Demons manifest themselves in myriad forms and are repositories of immeasurable power. And some are even invisible like the 'Oni' in Japanese myth; they are spirits who attend on the gods of the underworld, can take on grotesque forms but are hidden to the human eye (World Mythology, Illustrated Guide; Edited by Roy Willis). As old as the gods, demons are universal and are seen as humanity's projection of its deepest fears.

Demons follow no rules and wilfully overturn regular life as we know it. Consider the Greek monster Hydra with nine heads, which is the inspiration for the thousand-headed monster of corruption. The Hydra lived in the swamp of Lernae. She would raid flocks and ruin the land. Her heads were regenerative; each time one was cut off, another grew in its place. She was considered immortal until Herakles's sword swept off her heads and his half-brother branded the stumps to prevent further growth. Perhaps, the Hydra grew out of mankind's fear of water and swampy marshlands. Geography and nature have played a vital role in the evolution of demons in our cultures.

Raktabija in the Vedic family of demons too had regenerative powers. He could produce clones of himself from every drop of his blood that fell to the ground. Durga slew Raktabija with help from Kali (her destructive form) who swallowed the blood before it fell to the ground. He was, perhaps, shaped by man's fear of blood and what its loss could mean for life. The body and its functions too have served as inspiration for demonic characters in myths.

Dayans, sorceresses and witches are lesser beings in the demon world. But they too reveal the fears of a society that was fast becoming patriarchal. Always a woman, they are treacherous, demanding and are known to demolish men who dare cross their path. Men feared the strong, sexually aware woman and imbued her with supernatural and fearful powers and hounded her out of the society that he created for himself. Demons were also born out of gender anxieties.

In the past, demons controlled the waters, the power of the sun, the might of the sky and the volatility of the earth. Most mythologies speak about how they used their powers to deny people access to these vital forces of life. Vritra, an asura who controlled the waters of universe, grew too powerful and decided to hold back the water from the people. He swallowed all the moisture in the atmosphere, all the water from the ocean and the rivers and from the earth. He also spread his large frame across the sky and hid the sun. Distraught the gods approached Indra who, with his thunderbolt (vajra), slew Vritra, released the waters and rejuvenated life on earth.

Universally, demons are subversive spirits overthrowing 'all civilised order, reason, rules and expectations'. (A Field Guide to Demons: Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits; Carol K Mack and Dinah Mack) They embody chaos and the untamed forces of nature and the psyche, which were the anxieties and concerns that ancient civilisations grappled with. But fortunately, demons were not unstoppable. They could be conquered because they lacked the human capacity to love, be compassionate and to reason and also because they were also prone to arrogant and aggressive behaviour. The modern demons of corruption and inflation may not have the same character traits. But what they do have in common with the rest of the demon family is that they hold a magnifying mirror to our darkest fears and passions.

(This article appeared in the Business Standard Weekend on 17-05-2014, http://goo.gl/6SpTzp) 

Neither friend nor foe

War was imminent. Drupada, father of Draupadi and father-in-law of the Pandavas, was addressing an assembly of kings in Virata's court. The Pandavas had just completed 14 years in exile with the final year being spent incognito in King Virata's service. Drupada thundered: "Let us send word to our friends that they may collect an army for us. Let speedy messengers go to Salya and Dristaketu and Jayatsena and the prince of the Kekayas."*

The Pandavas could not fight this battle on their own and Drupada was signing up allies. Marriage, old friendships and favours bestowed in times of need - the Pandavas played every chip they had as they readied for battle; just like present-day political parties. Smart alliances, data indicates, have helped increase vote shares of the national parties in every election.** No surprise then that the political landscape is bustling with frenetic parleys between friends, foes and strangers for seats and votes; quite like the way it must have been in the time of the ancient epics.

The Pandavas were masters at sewing up strategic alliances. Arjuna's marriage to Ulupi, the sea princess, and Bhima's to Hidimba from the rakshasi clan were hugely advantageous relationships. Ghatotkacha, son of Hidimba and Bhima, killed several Kauravas and forced Karna to use a weapon that he had been saving up for Arjuna against him. Ulupi provided access to the might of the Naga army. In the larger Mahabharata narrative, however, both were treated poorly. Krishna rejoiced at Ghatotkacha's death and Ulupi was never allowed to live in the main palace with the other wives. The victor does not always play fair.

Another powerful partner for the Pandavas was Virata - his daughter had married Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son. He supplied soldiers and elephants and his sons fought valiantly on the side of the Pandavas. Choosing the right ally was always critical. In Odyssey, Athena who plays mentor to Telemachus, son of Odysseus, tells him to seek out his true friends to find his father. He finds Nestor, Menelaus and Helen who help him by providing him with clues and moral support.

The Kauravas were not as fortunate in their choices. Few kings and princes were willing to ignore their deep familial bonds with the Pandavas and even fewer believed in Duryodhana's cause. Karna was the exception, but he sat out most of the battle because of his grouse with Bhisma; somewhat like Achilles in the battle of Troy.

To add to his woes, Duryodhana also chose poorly. He accepted and was even elated at the prospect of having Krishna's army by his side, while Krishna chose to be Arjuna's charioteer. Without their commander, the soldiers were not as effective; and Krishna provided a huge moral, tactical and psychological advantage to the Pandavas, even though he did not fight on the battlefield. Some of Duryodhana's choices also did more damage than good. Shalya, uncle to the Pandava twins, was tricked into joining him. Shalya was on his way to align with the Pandavas. But Duryodhana's men intercepted him and his army, asking them to rest a few days before resuming their journey. Unaware that he was Duryodhana's guest, Shalya and his men agreed. And so pleased was he with the attention and care he received that when he discovered that it was Duryodhana and not Yudhisthira who was his host, he felt obliged to ally with the Kauravas. However he asked to meet Yudhishthira and his nephews before the battle to which Duryodhana agreed. At the meeting, Yudhishthira asked Shalya "for my sake though it may not be proper to be done"* to break Karna's spirit in the battlefield. Shalya as Karna's charioteer did just that, demoralising him and shattering his resolve as he went to battle against Arjuna. Snatching friends of rivals is never a good idea or an enemy's friend is never a good ally.

Strategic relationships have been a critical aspect of the mythology of the subcontinent. Vishnu, for instance, who is part of the trinity and highest in the hierarchy of gods, rides on the Garuda (a mythical bird) and rests on the Ananta Nag (the world serpent). The two were strong animistic deities who were assimilated into the Vedic fold, albeit in positions lower than the main gods. Alliances with tribal gods helped spread the Vedic way of life. They widened their influence.

Fighting wars and elections can't be done without allies. Not only do they provide access and influence, they can also be invaluable in the propaganda war. Drupada, for instance, not only brought in an army of kings, he also sent his priest to Dhritarashtra and asked him to sing the glory of the Pandavas: "If you speak words of righteousness unto Dhritarashtra, you will certainly gain the hearts of his fighting men. Vidura will also make use of those words of yours and will thus alienate the hearts of Bhisma, Drona and Kripa and others." Breaking the enemy's spirit was important and Drupada knew that. Given the scramble for alliances today, Drupada would definitely have been a sought-after campaign manager for the 2014 elections.

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*Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva, Translated by K M Ganguli
**"The mathematics of the Modi Wave,"Praveen Chakravarty, Business Standard, March 3, 2014

Arrogant ignoramuses and wretches in the third state...

With elections round the corner, abuse peppers the hyperbole and rhetoric employed by candidates to boost their image. They are calling each other frauds, imposters and murderers. Some have cast aspersions on their opponents' virility, some others have flaunted their own.

Interestingly, several examples of employing abuse as a battle axe can be found in the epics. In the Mahabharata, the Sisupala-Krishna encounter is a case in point. Yudhisthira was conducting the Rajasuya Yagna - a sacrifice meant for the gods at the end of which a king is anointed emperor - and he offers arghya (water from the ritual or fruit and sweets from the sacrifice) to the assembled kings. Yudhisthira asked Bhisma to point out the foremost among the kings gathered at his court so that he could offer him the first arghya. Bhisma pointed to Krishna. At this, the king of Chedi, Sisupala, let loose a barrage of insults. He called Krishna a wretch born in the race of the Vrishnis and Yudhisthira a mean fool who had abandoned the path of dharma. Bhisma he called arrogant and ignorant and an old and infamous wretch living in the third state (celibacy).

Sisupala had never forgiven Krishna for eloping with Rukmini, whom he had sought to marry, and for killing Kansa, Krishna's own uncle, and Putana, a rakshasi - he felt both had been wronged - and his friend Jarasandha. His hatred found release in the vitriolic attack which also caused his end. Sisupala, who had been born with three eyes and four hands and had brayed like an ass when he came into the world, was fated to be killed by Krishna. His parents had wanted to abandon him but were held back by a heavenly voice that assured them that the deformities would disappear once the baby was placed in the lap of the right person but that the same person would cause Sisupala's death. That is what happened when Krishna picked up Sisupala. At Sisupala's mother's insistence Krishna had agreed to forgive her son one hundred insults before he took his life. Sisupala tipped the scale and lost his life.

Pentheus, king of Thebes, faced a similar fate for his abuse of Dionysus. Pentheus found the Dionysian cult strange and horrifying and called Dionysus an "eastern stranger", refusing to accept him as a god. When Dionysus visited his kingdom, Pentheus insulted and imprisoned him. But Dionysus broke free and led Pentheus to a horrific death at the hands of his mother.

 

An ungainly sight: Duryodhana slips and falls

Harsh words are used in most epics as triggers and turning points. Duryodhana's desire for revenge was apparently hardened when he saw Draupadi mocking his gauche inspection of the Pandava's palace at Indraprastha. He mistook a crystal surface for a lake and then a lake for a crystal surface, tripping and falling as he made his way around the palace. Draupadi laughed out loud and, according to one version, called him "blind as a blind man's son". Overly sensitive, Duryodhana bore her a lifelong grudge, as did Karna against Arjuna and Bhima for calling him a low-caste interloper.

In the Iliad, an insult, at least a perceived one, was also the reason for Helen's abduction. Eris, the goddess of strife, was piqued at not being invited to the wedding of a mortal, King Peleus, and a sea-nymph, Thetis. She sent a golden apple for the nuptial feast inscribed with the words: "For the fairest". Athene, Hera and Aphrodite laid claim to the apple. Zeus appointed Paris as judge. Each goddess promised Paris special favours in return for the prize: Hera said she would give him royal power, Athene wisdom and victory in war, and Aphrodite said she would get him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris chose Aphrodite and earned the enmity of Hera and Athene for life. The battle of Troy followed soon thereafter.

Epic literature is full of insulting words and acrimonious exchanges, some fatal and some amusing. Our modern-day politicians could use them to find new swear words and, perhaps, to learn when to stop.

(This article appeared in the Business Standard (March 8, 2014) under the headline Abuse of Power)

Disruption and Chaos

(This article was published in Business Standard Weekend, Feb 1 2014) 
Picture this: If we were to line up the tumultuous events that wracked the ancient world -floods, wars, creation of new cities and civilisations and that of the universe itself - there would be one thing in common. They were all seeded by the actions of disrupters. A disrupter was at times a hero, at times a god and in the most ancient of times, a natural phenomenon.

The great flood, for instance, was a universal fomenter of change about 3,000 years ago; unleashed by the gods who sought to destroy the old order because (take your pick) people had grown too powerful, too cruel or simply disrespectful of the powers that be. However, from the receding waters of the deluge stepped out heroes such as Noah, Manu, Utnapashtim and Deucalion; survivors and architects of a new world.

An act of creation is always depicted, in mythology, as that of bringing order out of chaos. A disruptive force wreaks havoc and, from the debris it leaves behind, emerges a world that is completely unlike the one that preceded it. A hymn in the Rig Veda says: there was water everywhere. In that primeval water the gods were already present. They danced in it and a particle of dust (Renu) was created. This was the earth (Towards Understanding Hindu Myths by S A Dange) and the Earth Goddess was thus named Renuka. Similarly, in Egyptian mythologies, the Sun God, Ra, appeared in the primeval ocean (also referred to as chaos) called Nun. From their tumultuous union emerged the gods of air, earth and sky. In Sumerian myths, Tiamat ,the chaos monster, is the creator of all gods. She has to be killed by Marduk, a storm god, who creates the heavens and the earth from her body. In some mythologies, the struggle between creative order and destructive chaos is formalised into a cycle where new worlds are brought into existence and thrown into the junk heap with recurring regularity. Aztec mythology, for instance, has had four worlds thus far. We inhabit the fifth one.

As in nature, so is it with the gods. Among the oldest disruptive gods in Indian mythology is Rudra. He is the god of storms whose worshippers pray for his mercy. He is later redefined or morphed into Siva who is both creator and destructor incarnate. He swallowed the poison that emerged from the churning of the ocean; he dispels darkness and disposes of demons with his tandava and also breaks the fall of the river Ganga when she is brought down from the heavens. Rudra's Greek counterpart, according to Richard Seaford (Department of Classics, University of Exeter) is Dionysus.

Buddha was another disrupter. He challenged and provided an alternative to Hinduism, the ruling religion of his times. His teachings threatened the establishment forcing them to try and put an end to his sermons and to his existence. For Joseph Campbell, the Orient was blessed by the teachings of Gautam Buddha just as the Occident was by Moses. The world changed but the transition was not smooth or peaceful. For the Greeks it was Prometheus, who by bringing them fire, changed their lives, and for the Romans, it was Aeneus, the founder of their civilisation. Heroes today, they were the disruptive forces of their age. Their actions threatened chaos and unleashed fear before restoring peace and order.

Scholars have struggled to arrive at a unanimous view of the ancient stories but what is understood is that myths weave an invisible web of ideas that have helped shape the world. Of these, the notion that disruption is a precursor to creation is an especially powerful one. We have seen it play out when new nations have had to be carved out of old ones or when revolutions have sought to throw out established power structures. In the world of business, the global financial meltdown which had a domino effect on economies around the world makes the case in point. On a different note, technology is a big disrupter, overturning accepted norms and standards in several industries. Companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Square are disrupters too. The people who led these organisations dismantled the messy marketplaces and workplaces of the past to build new structures.

Anarchy has always marked the shift from the old to the new, and as our political system gets set for a shakedown, we may well have to get used to chaos on our streets. As will countries across the continent. It will take a while and, perhaps, the intervention of a modern day storm god to restore balance under a new world order.

The picture shows Siva and his Pramatha Ganam, and Siva dancing at dusk of day(twilight), called Sandhya tandavam. Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandhya_tandava_murthy.jpg