Exile of the Elder Son
Various
Indian epics and mythologies describe the origins of royal lineages, clans, and
succession conflicts. I have noticed a recurring theme that cannot be
overlooked. The theme of disowning, exiling or denying inheritance to the elder
son in favour of the younger one is quite repetitive.
From
the Puranas and epics goes a tale that depicts the origin of the Nishada tribe.
Vena was an unrighteous king under whose rule the kingdom was unsafe. When
sages went to the king with their concerns, he insulted them. In a rage, they
killed him off, just to realise later that the kingdom was now without an heir.
Vena had no successor, and so the sages performed what modern Sci-Fi writers
call genetic cloning. They churned his thigh, and emerged Nishada, a dwarf
hunter. Considering him a symbol of Vena’s evil they banished him from the
kingdom. Then they churned Vena’s hand, and emerged Prithu, the rightful king.
Considering Nishada and Prithu as Vena’s sons, the elder one was exiled.
Nishada tribe was not considered part of the Vedic society, and hence this
story was probably an attempt to describe why it was so.
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Prithu emerging from Vena's arm |
In the Ramayana, we see Rama being exiled from Ayodhya while his younger brother takes over the throne for some period. In the same story, we see Kubera is driven out of Lanka by his younger brother Ravana, who then takes over Kubera’s golden Lanka.
In
the Mahabharata, we see a story of how Yadavas split from Chandravansha. King
Yayati curses his eldest son Yadu that he and his descendants would never be
kings, and chooses his youngest son Puru as his successor. Hence their
descendants, Pauravas and Yadavas become separate clans. This story probably attempts
to justify why the Pauravas continue to be kings, while Yadavas established a
kind of republican system.
Now
within the Paurava descendants, the Kurus face a similar fate. Bheeshma quits
the claim to the throne in favour of his half-brothers. A generation later,
Dhritarashtra being blind is denied the throne even though being the eldest
son. He is later appointed as the caretaker-king for his younger brother for
the rest of his life. Yudhishthira being the eldest in the next generation is
denied succession right and Duryodhana is made the crown prince to the throne
of Hastinapura. Not to mention, Karna being the eldest brother of Pandavas is
always denied his rights. Even within the Yadavas, Krishna is made the leader
over his elder brother Balarama. But that whole topic deserves a separate discussion.
Exile,
disownment, and splitting of a clan is a common theme in the epics and Puranas.
These stories narrate the social stratification and political systems that
existed in ancient India. Whether as a coincidence or some socio-political
theme, it doesn’t fail to show up in various stories.
Let me know what you think of this repetitive motif. Is it purely coincidental, or bears a psychological significance of the ancient thought process? Are there any more examples that I missed? Leave a comment.
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