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.

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.