Lokaradhana in Uttararamacharita of Bhavabhuti
Contents
· Introduction
· Lokaaradhana or Public Good
· Qualities of a King
· Sensitivity towards the Subjects
Introduction
Uttarramcharita is a Sanskrit play by Bhavabhuti. It is written in seven acts or parts. It depicts the life of Rama, after Rama's return from exile to his reunion with his wife Sita. It is interesting to note that even those works of ancient Indian literature, which primarily dwell upon love stories, also contain explicit and specific contents that are the components of political and administrative work. They are the testimony to the enriched thinking tradition of ancient India. It is a fact that Sanskrit literature is the most ancient as well as the richest among the world's literature.
In ancient India, a unique code of conduct for everyone was established. Living in the society, despite the differences in social status, condition, and individual reputation all the Varnas enjoyed a common code of conduct, barring some fluctuations in their quality and quantity. Even after being a sovereign ruler of the state, the king was not exempted from such a code of conduct. We find a fascinating detailed list of royal duties (Rajadharma) in our Dharmashastra along with the procedure for impeachment of the king. Thus, the king was not someone beyond the rest of the society rather he was a member. He was destined to be the most sincere, polite, and benevolent servant of his subjects. If he could not perform his duties properly, he ceased to be the Raja. So, the ancient Indian kingship may be clearly understood through the sublime and conspicuous character of kings in Sanskrit literature.
Lokaaradhana or Public Good
In Uttararamacharita,1 Rama announces that his happiness and relations mean nothing before the well-being of the citizens. “Affection, mercy, personal happiness, nay, even Janaki-giving up for the satisfaction of my people, I shall feel no pain.”
Rama also repeatedly underlines the necessity of the nobleness of the deeds of the king. For him, the pleasure of the subjects is greater than everything. “By the means to satisfy the people is the self-imposed duty of the good; and the same was fulfilled by my father quitting me and his life together. ”2
In Uttararamacharita,3 Ashtavakra, the sage, advises King Rama to be duty-bound to protect the people and bring happiness to them. Only this would bring name and fame to the king. “We are detained on account of the sacrifice of our son-in-law. You are only a youth and have recently ascended the throne; be you intent on satisfying your subjects. The glory arising from that is the highest treasure of your race.”
The author4 has emphasized upon the supremacy of the welfare of the populace which he calls Lokaradhana. According to him, the traditional features of kingship essentially include the overall good of the population. A king must not consider any other duty greater than the protection of the subjects. “By you the worlds are holy: but unholy are the words of the people concerning you. In you the world finds a helper, but you fall a helpless victim!!”
The kingship in ancient Indian Sanskrit literature did not so much care about personal comfort or pleasure. On the contrary, there are ample instances where it has been said that being a ruler comes with abundance of responsibility that would require full-time attention and complete devotion. The task of protecting the people would certainly depend on a judicious and responsible division of the working hours, which prescribes different assignments and the duties of kingship.
Bhavabhuti5 also lays great emphasis on the great tradition and the knowledge of history. He has many prescriptions that would transform a king into a great king. The following shlokas provide a sufficient understanding of this aspect of kingship in ancient India. “This is the martial law; this is the time-honored ordinance; and this is certainly the heroic course of conduct pursued by the lions in the race of the Raghus. Your honor alone knows the history, the holy chronicles, the canons of law, and also the customary practices of the Raghu family.”
The king is expected to be available to all those seeking his assistance and sympathetic to those who require his empathy. The king himself is aware of his responsibilities and duties to protect the people. This position of power provides him with several opportunities to increase this strength thereby defeating other kings and acquiring their political power as well as wealth but all this increased power has to be utilized in the direction of the well-being of the people only.
The authority of the king includes his duty to provide sustenance to all the living creatures and therefore, he is king not only for the people of his state but every living animal in his kingdom. He must perform this responsibility through punishing the offenders, coercing the criminals, and catching the thieves. These are some of the indications of establishing peace.
Qualities of a King
Bhavabhuti states that the king must be knowledgeable, benevolent, and capable of self-control in difficult situations. These qualifications are mentioned in the following shlokas of Bhavabhuti. Look at the scene:-“Lava- Wroth or no is a different matter. But I ask this much:- We hear that the king of the Raghu race is self-restrained. He is not arrogant, they say, nor are his subjects so. Why then do his people utter diabolical words?”6
Sensitivity towards the Subjects
Bhavabhuti has, in the below-mentioned shlokas, reminded the rulers of the day of the tradition of conscious sensitivity towards the subjects and of having knowledge of the truth and henceforth sticking to the path of knowledge for the sake of ultimate truth. Following shlokas speak of transcendental virtues in suggestive ways. “A dreadful scandal spread among the people; as for the purification by the fiery ordeal it took place in Lanka; how could the people here believe it? While to keep contented with the whole world is the family inheritance of the descendants of Ikshvaku: being in such a fix what was the boy to do?”7
One can easily summarize that in order to succeed in politics, clear insight, meticulous planning, and the ability to tune things perfectly and to extract such faith in people so as to secure their unshakable loyalties are required for becoming a successful political administrator. The preceding descriptions wholly establish the argument of considerable availability and presence of systematic ideas and concepts on political systems, administrative institutions, and tenets of public governance in these dramas whose main theme is love and valour.
The king, therefore, works mainly as the guardian and father figure of the whole community and an overall protector and sustainer of the citizenry. This provides a live testimony to ancient India's concern for a just government and efficiently able administration. The above description is fairly indicative of the presence of organized thinking on political institutions and public governance in ancient India which was driven by elements of a value system that is moral and democratic at its very core.
References:
1. 1. Kale, M.R., The Uttararamacharit of Bhavabhuti, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt Ltd, Delhi, 2016, pp.5-38, Act I, Lusga n;ka p lkS[;a p ;fn ok tkudhefiA vkjk/kuk; yksdL; eq¥~prks ukfLr es O;FkkAA12AA
2. Uttararamacharita, op.cit., Act I, lrka dsukfidk;sZ.k yksdL;kjk/kua rre~A ;Riwfjra fg rkrsu eka p izk.kka”p eq¥~prkAA41AA
3. Uttararamacharita, op.cit., Act I, tkekr`;Ksu o;a fu#)kLRoa cky ,okfl uoa p jkT;e~A ;qDr% iztkukeuqj¥~tusL;kLrLek|”kks ;Rijea /kua o%AA11AA
4. Uttararamacharita, op.cit., Act I, 43 Ro;ktxfUriq.;kfu Ro¸;iq.;k tuksä;%A ukFkoUrLRo;kyksdkLRoeukFkk foiRL;lsAA43AA
5. Uttararamacharita, op.cit., Act I, 22&23 ,’k lkaxzkfedksU;k; ,’k /keZ% lukru%A b;afgj?kqflagkuka ohjpkfj=i)fr%AA22AA bfrgklaiqjk.ka p /keZizopukfupA HkoUr ,otkufUrj?kw.kka p dqyfLFkfre~AA23AA
6. Uttararamacharita, op.cit., Act V yo% vLRoe’kksZekHkw}kA ,rŸkqi`PNkfenkUrafg jktkua jk?koa “k`.kqe%A l fdyukReukn`I;frukL; iztk ok n`Irktk;UrsA rfRdaeuq’;kLrL; jk{klha okpeqnhj;fUrA
7. Uttararamacharita, op.cit., Act VI, ?kksja yksds forre;”kks ;k p oáSfo”kqf)yaZdk}his dFkfeotuLrkfeg JÌ/kkrqA b{okkdw.kka dqyu/kfeoa ;Rlekjk/kuh;% ÑRLuksyksdLrfng fo’kefda l oRl% djksrqAA6AAA
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