By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist
In the beginning was the forest. Humans domesticated the forest to create culture, a space where they could feel secure. However, as societies around the world are becoming unsafe for immigrants, travellers, minorities, women and queer people, it is time to ask ourselves what is culture? Are we humans, or just domesticated animals of the powerful, or are we alphas establishing a pecking order, or predators seeking prey? In the forest, there are no rules, no duties, no obligations. Everyone is driven by instinct. The strong, the smart and the nimble survive. The unfit perish. No one comes to anyone’s help. This is the space of ‘fish justice,’ that is matsya nyaya, where the big fish eat the small fish, and that is okay. Society, however, is where the mighty have to take care of the meek. Resources have to be made available for the unfit, and the weak. This is dharma for humans. When humans behave like animals, it is adharma. Animals are supposed to behave like animals, as they are hard-wired to do so, but humans have a choice. In this choice is embedded the idea of dharma. The more human we are, the more we care for others, the more we walk on the path of dharma that takes us towards the divine. The forest (vana, aranya) is an important backdrop in both Ramayana and Mahabharata, because both deal with the issue of dharma.
