The power of the beast

Rebel Chandragupta was on the run after a failed attempt to unseat the Nanda king. Chandragupta's mentor, master strategist and kingmaker, Chanakya, had put together the band of mutineers. Protege Chandragupta's flight led him to a dense forest, home to several fierce wild things. Overcome with fatigue, the king-in-waiting fell asleep. As he slept, it is said a lion kept watch over him. Chandragupta was covered in dust and grime, so the lion licked him clean. When Chandragupta woke up and saw the lion, he read it as a good omen. Ever since, the lion has been associated with Chandragupta in particular and the Maurya kingdom at large. It came to stand atop the pillars in palaces, on stone columns and was part of their seals. Sanjeev Sanyal writes in his book, Land of the Seven Rivers, that columns were a way of marking territory in ancient times and when accompanied with the wheel, the lion on the column was a way of asserting the power of the 'chakravartin'.

Myth and history, as this story indicates, have always lived in a tight embrace. And the power of the animal, or its spirit, has imbued many a ruler with legendary capabilities. This is true even today. Read the commentaries, listen to talking heads on television or scroll through the numerous laudatory messages on social media and it is evident that the primal nature of the animal species still has us in thrall. One image zipping through the digital pipelines has Prime Minister Modi morphing into a lion in the aftermath of the recent "surgical strikes", his hair magically turning into a lion's mane flying in the wind. Pity Chandragupta did not survive to live in modern-day India, else he could also have claimed (or perhaps sought) a similar treatment.

The lion has been the insignia of kings and generals throughout the world. Richard I, king of England and leader of many crusades, was known as the Lionheart (Coeur de lion). The lion is a consort of many powerful goddesses; it is also the form that many benign goddesses assume to destroy demons. The lion is Durga's consort, the goddess who helped gods regain their lost glory by getting rid of Mahishasura. Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of terror, was a lioness-goddess. In her benign form, she is Hathor, the divine eye of the sun god.

The sun and the lion are closely linked too. Narasimha, one of the ten avatars of Vishnu, has been interpreted by scholars and artists as a solar avenger. He killed Asura King Hiranyakashipu for not letting son Prahlad worship Vishnu.

The lion is not the only animal used to bestow mythical powers. The jaguar is associated with royalty, fertility and the earth in Mesoamerican cultures. The ancient Olmec civilisation (Mexico) was particularly preoccupied with the jaguar and their legacy lives on in several subsequent tribes and cults that populated the region. The jaguar shaman, for instance, a common figure in Central and South America was feared for his ability to conjure up dangerous forces of the spirit world (World Mythology; General Ed: Roy Willis).

Wolves are big symbols of power too. The legendary founder of Rome, Romulus, was nursed by a she-wolf after being abandoned at birth with his twin Remus. He and his brother were sons of a princess (Rhea) and the god Mars. Left to die by the Tiber, they were found by a she-wolf who cared for them until a shepherd took the boys under his wing. The image of the brothers being suckled by a she-wolf has been used by emperors to demonstrate strength, power and divinity. Native Americans believe that animals and people were once indistinguishable; they are our ancestors.

The myth of animals bestowing their power on chosen humans resonates strongly in every part of the world. And the use of animals to symbolise human greatness slips from myth into history across the world too. But the animal in myth has also been used to create symbols of hate and destruction; they have been transformed into mythical beasts such as vampires and werewolves or have become symbols of tyranny. (The story of Krishna conquering the many-hooded serpent to release his people from its cruelties is well known).

Walking the line between power and cruelty has always been tricky. Hence, just as animals have been used to assert power, gods have had to step in when their power led the universe to ruin. As political parties today use animals as election symbols and as a badge of honour, they may do well to keep this in mind.