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Loyalty: The Silent Strength of the Ramayana

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"Wherever you dwell, O Rama, that alone is my heaven. I do not desire Ayodhya, or even the bliss of Swarga, if I am not with you."

Many characters in the Ramayana could have said that. Sita, Lakshmana, Hanuman… I have quoted Lakshmana’s speech to Rama when he heard of the exile ordered by Dasharatha.

Loyalty is a central moral and emotional pillar in the Ramayana. It appears in different dimensions – between brothers, spouses, subjects and rulers, even between humans and animals. Loyalty to a person does not mean blind following; it’s about love, trust, and shared destiny. Lakshmana’s loyalty to Rama is perhaps the most shining example. He could have lived in the comfort of the palace; but he chose to be by Rama’s side in the travails of the forest. His loyalty is more than a duty; it is love. Sita’s loyalty is tested in fire – literally as well as symbolically. But she never sways. Hanuman’s loyalty is devotion (which was discussed earlier).

Rama is loyal to the principles of truth and dharma. When Bharata comes to call him back to the palace after Dasharatha’s death and Kaikeyi’s repentance, Rama refuses to return precisely because of his loyalty to his vow. Bharata too is loyal to the principle of raja dharma; he refuses the throne and rules the country as Rama’s regent. Rama is the ideal king for Bharata and he is loyal to that ideal.

Can loyalty and dissent walk hand in hand? The Ramayana has exemplary characters who were loyal though they did dissent. Vibhishana is a complex example. A rakshasa by birth and Ravana’s beloved brother, Vibhishana is in total disagreement with what Ravana was doing to Sita. Eventually, he chooses to relinquish his loyalty to Ravana in order to be loyal to truth and righteousness. Loyalty has its limits too: it may not go hand in hand with dissent.

What makes Bharata disown the throne that is offered to him is his loyalty to Rama. That loyalty makes him question and resist his mother too. Later, after Dasharatha’s death, Bharata disagrees with Rama’s decision to continue with the exile. Yet he remains loyal to Rama. Loyalty and dissent go hand in hand.

Sita’s loyalty to Rama is highly vocal. Unlike other Indian wives of the time (and for centuries and centuries), she protests Rama’s intention to leave her behind when he goes into exile. She convinces Rama that her duty as a wife is to accompany her husband even if that means facing dangers. Her loyalty is unwavering in spite of occasional dissents. Sita proves that loyalty can be dignified, questioning, and self-aware.

Loyalty is not servitude, but sincerity. Dissent is not betrayal, but bravery. Sometimes we may have to be disloyal because righteousness is more important than loyalty to an individual.

I’m tempted to draw a lesson for our own time. Is loyalty to your country the same as loyalty to the dominant political party? Is dissent equal to treason? Are critics of the leaders antinational people?

Characters such as Vibhishana, Bharata, and Sita show us that true loyalty is not blind. True loyalty is morally aware, critical, and brave. The Ramayana teaches us that loyalty to a person or a party must never override loyalty to dharma, to truth, and to the larger good of the country.

Loyalty is sacred, but only when it serves the greater good, not the greater power. Loyalty that takes one away from truth, justice, and compassion has no worth except in Ravana’s court. 


PS. I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z. This series looks at the Ramayana from various angles.

Tomorrow: Mandodari: An Unsung Heroine

Previous Posts in this series:

Ayodhya: Kingdom of Sorrows

Bharata: The Ascetic King

Chitrakoot: The Antithesis of Ayodhya

Dharma and Destiny

Exile and the Kingdom

Friendship in Kishkindha

Golden Deer: Illusions

Hanuman: Zenith of Devotion

Ikshvaku: Mythos versus Logos

Jatayu: The Winged Warrior

Karma versus Fatalism

  

Comments

  1. I appreciate the level of effort you did to talk on such a serious topic in such a beautiful and interesting way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm a learner of this as I've said many times. That's why I put in much effort. It's more of a quest than labour.

      Delete
  2. Jatayu's loyalty ended up in absolute self-sacrifice and Hanuman's was total self-surrender. So, yes, their loyalty rises above that of the others. Speaking about today's scenario, I wish people understood their religion, culture, epics, scriptures, etc better. As you imply, most of them don't even read any of these and pretend to know everything about them. Can one who really understood Rama go around converting Jai Sri Ram chant into a murderous call?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hari Om
    Your 'quest' is serving you well, dear blogpal! This is a beautiful collation of thought on the matter - and the current times comparison proving the worth of such epics: that they hold eternal message. Those who read and take example from the puranas only as a soap opera/melodrama are destined to live a soap opera/melodrama. Those who think loyalty means obeisance can only ever engender the dissent they would castigate. YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. How rightfully you said that loyalty is not servitude. But with time I guess this notion has depreciated and now loyalty means bootlickers. Just reading scriptures or epics will not eradicate the foolishness happening everywhere in the name of religion. In my opinion, only when one reads it ( without being biased ) with the motif of self awareness and understanding, can a change happen. But is the current society ready for it ? I highly doubt !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The society is never interested in reading, let alone reading scriptures and all. Religion is politics for them, identity, power, belonging... That's why things never change for the better.

      Delete
  5. you mentioned many great examples for loyalty.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ah, loyalty. I think the problem is blind loyalty. Those who go along with someone without parsing the consequences. And, of course, it would depend on what the loyalty would entail. Sometimes it's more loyal to go against someone who is harming themselves to help protect them. Of course, they wouldn't see it that way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Going against someone, dissent, is something I'd opt for too where the choice is between good and bad, welfare and harm...

      Delete
  7. Gods demand absolute loyalty and complete surrender. Over time, our culture began extending similar reverence to leaders, owners, relatives, countries, and political parties. In other words, leaders parties behave themselves as Gods. However, there’s a key difference: the loyalty we offer to gods or leaders is often unconditional, while the loyalty given to political parties is usually conditional. But the loyalty of Hanuman, Guha are beyond these! purely unconditional!

    All the best Sir.

    ReplyDelete

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