Geethartha Chinthane - 128: Logic behind Rama’s exile and Pandavas’ incognito

It is the nature of living beings to consider whatever they use or wherever they live as their own. This is why house rental agreements are typically made for 11 months. If it extends to 12 months, people start claiming ownership. This mindset is the basis for laws like ‘akrama-sakrama’ and land reforms.

Similarly, Kaikeyi asked Rama to go into exile for 14 years. If it were only for seven years, he might still have a claim to the throne. To be on the safer side, she insisted on 14 years. Her intention was that Rama should never return as king. Without stating this explicitly, she cleverly ensured that by staying in the forest for such a long time, Rama’s claim to Ayodhya would be invalidated, and the people’s memory of him would fade. This would give Bharata full rights to the kingdom.

A similar logic applies to the Pandavas’ story of exile. What is the purpose of spending one year in incognito (agyatavasa), hidden from everyone? Does it not seem like child’s play? The 12 years of exile followed by one year of incognito—a total of 13 years—was not just to send the Pandavas away temporarily. Duryodhana’s real intention was to exile them permanently. He believed that if the Pandavas remained hidden for a year, they would lose public support.

This behavior reflects a fundamental aspect of human nature. Even as adults, we show tendencies akin to children arguing over ownership. For instance, two children might argue about which city—Mumbai or Kolkata—is the greatest. The Mumbai boy claims Mumbai is superior simply because he resides there, while the Kolkata boy makes the same claim for Kolkata. Beyond their temporary stay in these cities, neither child truly has ownership. This seemingly childish behavior mirrors our adult tendencies to claim and attach significance to what we temporarily use or possess.

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