Danda to ‘Dharma Danda’
NewsBharati 21-Jun-2023 14:29:24 PM
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The world today is becoming more and more reactivist rather than understanding and contemplating.
Reactivism by definition means, The philosophy of engaging in political activism but limiting that engagement to posting on social media. In society, there are many flag bearers of this philosophy who are today creating public opinion on a large scale.
When you see the above image, all of you immediately say that, yet another article on Sengol and its installation in the New Parliament Building…but all my dears, No, we are not talking about the sensational nature of the Sengol controversy or whether it is right or wrong, no….. We are going to talk about what sengol or more appropriately ‘Dharma Danda’ signifies, the impact and imagery of this sacred artifact.
Before going into ‘Dharma Danda’, we need to understand what is meant by ‘Danda’. The Danda as an object is always imagined as a stick/ rod or Sceptre, which embodies discipline and morality.
In India, Danda is the one of the 4 elements through which you can achieve your goal i.e. Saam, Daam, Danda and Bheda. In this sense, Danda means punishment or Coercion in a crude sense.
Danda means, Force or administration of force or punishment. Danda, in fact, is one of the elements of a state. The base of the institution of Danda is to bring about discipline in the lives of human beings who by nature are evil and corrupt. It is assumed that it is only the king who can protect the entire mankind and for this protection, the king uses Danda as a means or as an instrument.
In the ancient Indian political system, it was the responsibility of the king to maintain Dharma by means of Danda.
It was widely believed that it is only through fear of displacement that mankind can be made more disciplined. It is this punishment that keeps a check on their actions consciously or subconsciously.
Nevertheless, this punishment should be administered only when necessary after much consideration. Otherwise, the concept of Danda is lost.
Ancient Indian thinkers thought that Danda should not be used as per the whims and fancies of the rulers, but only when there is the presence of any anti-social elements in the society.
Dandaniti characterizes the art of using force to control the errant elements in society. Danda,i.e. the stick or rod as a symbol of force or state power is mentioned in ancient texts like Manusmriti, the work of Ushnas and Mahabharata, but Kautilya has given an elaborate exposition of Dandaniti.
Kautilya made a clear difference between religion and politics and he assessed political problems in terms of religious aspects.
While understanding the vital importance of religion in social life, Kautilya was bold enough to argue that Dandaniti should form the basis of Purushartha (the effort to achieve the principal objects of human life).
He stressed the value of human striving in securing the best in his life. He asserted that history was no longer the result of the vengeance or jealousy of superhuman powers but the expression of human ingenuity.
Kautilya identified four purposes of Dandaniti; firstly, Acquisition of the unacquired, Secondly, Preservation of the acquired. Thirdly Augmentation of the preserved; and last not but least, Fair distribution of the augmented.
Only a strong and disciplined prince could fully achieve these purposes. Politically, Kautilya was the supporter of a strong monarchy and stable imperialist state.
His state was to be paternal in character and benevolent in spirit. The Main function of the state was to foster material and spiritual progress.
It was to regulate all branches of human life. It was to maintain the respective privileges of all and to protect them from the tyranny of more powerful sections. Excessive use would distress the people and light usage of the same will lose its importance.
Through Danda Niti, it becomes easier to bring about proper progress and a balanced system of social and economic needs. Kautilya regarded monarchy as the best human institution and also as the custodian of the national resources and public rights.
When we understand the importance of Danda niti, Now, we can look back to the ‘Sengol’ which was installed in the new Parliament building of India on 29 May, 2023.
A ‘Sengol’ is a word derived from Semmai, which means righteousness, Morality, and integrity. On the Sengol or ‘Dharma Danda’, is the Nandi, a traditional symbol of Nyaya- Justice and impartial understanding. The Dharma Danda is a traditional symbol of power transfer.
As per the many sources' claims, it was traditional Chola practice for Samayacharyas (Spiritual leaders), to lend the coronation of kings and sanctify the transfer of power, which is also considered a kind of recognition for the ruler.
Many historical sources say the sengol received by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru symbolizes the transfer of power from the British to India in 1947.
After the installation of Sengol, there was huge criticism by many scholars and politicians alike. Many said that this is a monarchical symbol that symbolizes the absolute power of the Monarch, others said, this is not democratic to install in Parliament as the Sceptre is a symbol of concentration of power. Many pointed out that such symbols are not at all needed in such democratic institutions.
But, let us look at it more carefully, as we can see all the symbols accepted by democracies in the world are rooted in a monarchical sense. Like the Ashok Chakra is Chakra from King Ashoka, The Eagle of American seal has roots in symbols of British monarchical seals. So, technically all the symbols which we are going to accept now and in future can have deep roots in ancient social, political and economic spheres.
So seeing Sengol as a Monarchical symbol, we must look at it as the symbol of righteousness embedded in our Indian understanding. This Sengol does not glorify monarchical values but will definitely give the sense to legislators to work with righteousness and morality, which will be the reflection of Amrit Kaal.
When I see the photo of Ethiraj Vummidi during Parliament inauguration, I think that, Those twinkling eyes of Ethiraj Vummidi are actually asking us to understand the meaning of everything rather than reacting to everything without a single thought.
The sensationalization of every news and titbit and making buzz about that subject is tricks of marketing and publicity, but in this process of sensationalization, we are actually missing out the true thought and unique nature that thing; this sensationalization also lead us to hollow sense of pride in putting out the opinion without thought, which way dangerous for society than anything else.
Reactivism by definition means, The philosophy of engaging in political activism but limiting that engagement to posting on social media. In society, there are many flag bearers of this philosophy who are today creating public opinion on a large scale.
When you see the above image, all of you immediately say that, yet another article on Sengol and its installation in the New Parliament Building…but all my dears, No, we are not talking about the sensational nature of the Sengol controversy or whether it is right or wrong, no….. We are going to talk about what sengol or more appropriately ‘Dharma Danda’ signifies, the impact and imagery of this sacred artifact.
Before going into ‘Dharma Danda’, we need to understand what is meant by ‘Danda’. The Danda as an object is always imagined as a stick/ rod or Sceptre, which embodies discipline and morality.
In India, Danda is the one of the 4 elements through which you can achieve your goal i.e. Saam, Daam, Danda and Bheda. In this sense, Danda means punishment or Coercion in a crude sense.
Danda means, Force or administration of force or punishment. Danda, in fact, is one of the elements of a state. The base of the institution of Danda is to bring about discipline in the lives of human beings who by nature are evil and corrupt. It is assumed that it is only the king who can protect the entire mankind and for this protection, the king uses Danda as a means or as an instrument.
In the ancient Indian political system, it was the responsibility of the king to maintain Dharma by means of Danda.
It was widely believed that it is only through fear of displacement that mankind can be made more disciplined. It is this punishment that keeps a check on their actions consciously or subconsciously.
Nevertheless, this punishment should be administered only when necessary after much consideration. Otherwise, the concept of Danda is lost.
Ancient Indian thinkers thought that Danda should not be used as per the whims and fancies of the rulers, but only when there is the presence of any anti-social elements in the society.
Dandaniti characterizes the art of using force to control the errant elements in society. Danda,i.e. the stick or rod as a symbol of force or state power is mentioned in ancient texts like Manusmriti, the work of Ushnas and Mahabharata, but Kautilya has given an elaborate exposition of Dandaniti.
Kautilya made a clear difference between religion and politics and he assessed political problems in terms of religious aspects.
While understanding the vital importance of religion in social life, Kautilya was bold enough to argue that Dandaniti should form the basis of Purushartha (the effort to achieve the principal objects of human life).
He stressed the value of human striving in securing the best in his life. He asserted that history was no longer the result of the vengeance or jealousy of superhuman powers but the expression of human ingenuity.
Kautilya identified four purposes of Dandaniti; firstly, Acquisition of the unacquired, Secondly, Preservation of the acquired. Thirdly Augmentation of the preserved; and last not but least, Fair distribution of the augmented.
Only a strong and disciplined prince could fully achieve these purposes. Politically, Kautilya was the supporter of a strong monarchy and stable imperialist state.
His state was to be paternal in character and benevolent in spirit. The Main function of the state was to foster material and spiritual progress.
It was to regulate all branches of human life. It was to maintain the respective privileges of all and to protect them from the tyranny of more powerful sections. Excessive use would distress the people and light usage of the same will lose its importance.
Through Danda Niti, it becomes easier to bring about proper progress and a balanced system of social and economic needs. Kautilya regarded monarchy as the best human institution and also as the custodian of the national resources and public rights.
When we understand the importance of Danda niti, Now, we can look back to the ‘Sengol’ which was installed in the new Parliament building of India on 29 May, 2023.
A ‘Sengol’ is a word derived from Semmai, which means righteousness, Morality, and integrity. On the Sengol or ‘Dharma Danda’, is the Nandi, a traditional symbol of Nyaya- Justice and impartial understanding. The Dharma Danda is a traditional symbol of power transfer.
As per the many sources' claims, it was traditional Chola practice for Samayacharyas (Spiritual leaders), to lend the coronation of kings and sanctify the transfer of power, which is also considered a kind of recognition for the ruler.
Many historical sources say the sengol received by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru symbolizes the transfer of power from the British to India in 1947.
After the installation of Sengol, there was huge criticism by many scholars and politicians alike. Many said that this is a monarchical symbol that symbolizes the absolute power of the Monarch, others said, this is not democratic to install in Parliament as the Sceptre is a symbol of concentration of power. Many pointed out that such symbols are not at all needed in such democratic institutions.
But, let us look at it more carefully, as we can see all the symbols accepted by democracies in the world are rooted in a monarchical sense. Like the Ashok Chakra is Chakra from King Ashoka, The Eagle of American seal has roots in symbols of British monarchical seals. So, technically all the symbols which we are going to accept now and in future can have deep roots in ancient social, political and economic spheres.
So seeing Sengol as a Monarchical symbol, we must look at it as the symbol of righteousness embedded in our Indian understanding. This Sengol does not glorify monarchical values but will definitely give the sense to legislators to work with righteousness and morality, which will be the reflection of Amrit Kaal.
When I see the photo of Ethiraj Vummidi during Parliament inauguration, I think that, Those twinkling eyes of Ethiraj Vummidi are actually asking us to understand the meaning of everything rather than reacting to everything without a single thought.
Sharayu Bapat
Having master's in political science and Indology, Sharayu is prominently working in the academic field. She worked as visiting faculty in various colleges. She worked as a research associate at MIT-SOG. Right now, Sharayu is associated with MIT-SOG and MIT- Institutional Relation dept.