Abuses of Power and the Irony of Submission and Love, Essay Example

The Ramayana is an epic of great moral import even today, because the themes of power are timeless. If “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”, then it comes as no surprise that the subject of power is laced with the machinations of gods, demons, creatures, and mere mortals alike. In the Eastern tradition of harmony, though, the abuse of power is naturally balanced by its counterweight in humility. Rama and Mareecha become the intended righteousness of power, and Ravana and Soorpanka become the temptation. Yet their interactions with those closest to them reveal more than they do when left to their own devices. The following sections will examine the interactions between Rama and Vali, Rama and Soorpanka, and Ravana and Mareecha, extracting a code of morality and the greatest good.

Rama’s friends warn him, but he only sees the wonder of greatness—just as he had gawked at the stature of Vali, who foolishly quarreled with his brother on a regular basis (Narayan 94). Vali was also arrogant with the power bestowed upon him by the gods. He “had never thought, even as a possibility, that there was any power on earth or in the heavens which could subdue him with any weapon or stand up before him in a fight…He was invulnerable according to the promise of the gods” (95). This arrogance proves to be a distinct disadvantage in the fight, as he is shocked at his sudden loss to Rama. As he lies on the ground, he continues to believe that Rama must be a god. Rama’s faith is not in his own power, or he would not have fought. Upon first seeing Vali he asked “Is there any comparable spectacle of power in the whole universe, even if you include all the gods, demons, and elements?” (94). Rama felled him with one well-aimed arrow- aimed at protecting both brothers in a manner of speaking. With this new-found humility of powerlessness, Vali finds admiration and respect for others.

The tale of Soorpanka is one steeped in excesses of power of many kinds: magical, sexual, personal, physical, etc. When she is first introduced, Soorpanka is described as a demon-like woman who practices the black arts and who indulges a “never-ending gluttony” which had caused her to fatten and become more grotesque (70). This multiplicity of character is not lost on the original author(s). After she falls in love with Rama, they remark that she would “seduce him by every art in her power” (70). After she has altered her appearance, her true nature emerges in her overzealous attempt to please Rama and to frighten Sita away. In response, Rama walks away, and Soorpanka flies into a fit of lies and jealous rage. Although she no longer appears the monster, the nature of her being cannot be overcome even by great magic.

Soorpanka’s ne’er-do-well brother, Ravana also struggles with power and excess. Just as Soorpanka covets Rama, Ravana covets Sita. When Ravana’s closest allies advise him against this way of thinking, he simply replies that she should have met him first, ergo the mistake is not his. Still, his friend Mareecha remarks that “You have the grace of Shiva on you. You are endowed with eminence and power. Do not cheapen yourself with such adventures. You should not become a subject of gossip of this or other worlds.” (80). From this advice, the reader can conclude that gossip and reputation are more closely linked to a sense of honor—and that the collective good is highly valued over the egoistic, Western ways of thinking, as displayed by Ravana. Although Mareecha means well, his description of the virtue and righteous power of Rama only spurs the jealousy and resentment which Ravana holds (80). Furthermore, Mareecha’s conversation with Ravana establishes the drastic lengths which the latter will go to for fulfillment of his plans. Despite his own assertions that his sister’s love urges him on even more, he belittles love and those who fall prey to it, implying that brutality and power are more forceful than good. Mareecha does not subscribe to Ravana’s reasoning and warns that it may be the death of both of them but is not prepared to fight one of the few remaining members of his family. He has seen how another god did “impart to him all the powers in his command…Rama now possesses now possesses asthras immeasurable in power and numbers and he can face any encounter with assurance” (80-81).

While each character’s thoughts and actions reveal much about their character, their conversations with each other reveal a more intimate acquaintance with their inner motivations and what drives them to purse power. Rama seeks justice; Vali seeks glory; Mareecha seeks peace; Soorpanka seeks lust; Ravana seeks domination. Ravana would not hear the words of just anyone; it took a close acquaintance (his brother) to point out that he “acquired extraordinary powers…but [he has] misused [his] powers and attacked the very gods that gave [him] power” (113). Thus, the Ramayana advocates submission and love as the aims which ironically place men in the position to attain the most power.

Works Cited

Narayan, R.K. The Ramayana. Penguin Group: New York. 1972. Print.