Ramayana in modern world: What would 21st century Ramayana be like?

Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only. We are not trying to hurt the religious sentiments of any community or individual. We will just be explaining the provisions of the Indian Penal Code through the epic of Ramayan. As there are multiple versions of Ramayan, we have majorly taken inspiration from Valmiki’s Ramayan.

We are going to talk about Adipurush. Yes, you read that right, but no, we are not talking about the movie “Adipurush”; we are talking about the real deal. We are going to explain some concepts of crimes provided under the Indian Penal Code, but with a twist!

What if IPC existed in the times of Ramayan?

Delving into “what ifs” is our natural tendency. And so, this time, let’s see what would have happened if the provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were applicable during the time of Ramayan!

Incident 1: Lakshman Cutting off Supanakha’s Nose: In Valmiki Ramayan, Surpanakha is shown as the sister of Ravan, who forcefully tried to marry Ram. The interaction between Ram, Lakshman and Surpanakha gets heated, eventually leading to Lakshman cutting off Surpanakha's nose and ears. This is a grave offence under IPC.

Law: Voluntarily causing grievous hurt on provocation (Section 335).

Explanation: If a person causes any kind of permanent or long-term injury to another, he is liable for grievous hurt.

Incident 2: Ravan pretends to be a sage: When Sita is alone in a hut in Panchvati, Ravan pretends to be a Brahmin Sanyaasi and begs for food from Sita. Through his disguise, he makes her cross the line drawn by Lakshman, which is there to protect her. Thus, Ravan tricked Sita by pretending to be someone else. 

Law: Cheating by personation (Section 416).

Explanation: If a person pretends to be someone else in order to harm the other person’s body, mind, reputation or property, he is liable for cheating by personation.

Incident 3: Ravan kidnaps Sita: When Sita crosses the line drawn by Lakshman, Ravan kidnaps Sita and takes her to his kingdom in Lanka. He could have been held for multiple provisions as he took her away from India and to a different country.

Law: Kidnapping from India (Section 360), Kidnapping, abducting or inducing a woman to compel her marriage (Section 366).

Explanation: If a person takes away another outside the territory of India without that person's consent, he is liable for kidnapping from India. If such kidnapping is done to compel a woman into marriage, the kidnapper will be liable for kidnapping a woman to compel her marriage.

Incident 4: Sita in Ashok Vatika: After kidnapping Sita and taking her to Lanka, Ravan keeps her in Ashok Vatika. In some versions, it is also said that Sita refused to enter his palace. Whatever the actual reason might be, it is clear that she was a captive and could not have left the palace. 

Law: Wrongful Confinement (Section 340).

Explanation: If a person restrains another so as to prevent them from proceeding beyond certain limits, he is liable for wrongful confinement.

Incident 5: Hanuman enters the Palace of Ravan: In search of Sita, Hanuman fly over the ocean and reaches Lanka. He then enters Ravan’s palace and decides to damage the royal gardens of the palace. This action invites an offence under IPC.

Law: Criminal Trespass (Section 441).

Explanation: If a person enters the property of another with the intention to annoy, insult or intimidate that person, he is liable for criminal trespass.

Incident 6: Hanuman sets Lanka on fire: When Ravan decides to kill Hanuman, he sets his tail on fire. Instead of being harmed by the fire, Hanuman decides to burn down the whole nation. While in the context of Ramayan, it was a major event that shows the bravado of Hanuman, things would have been quite different if this had happened in the 21st Century world.

Law: Mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy a house, etc. (Section 436)

Explanation: If a person commits mischief by fire or any explosive substance with the intention to damage any property, he will be liable for mischief by fire.

Incident 7: The tragic story of Sita: After returning to Ayodhya, Sita was exiled by Ram while she was pregnant because of the statement of a washerman. Basically, the washerman defamed Ram and Sita by stating to another that he cannot accept his wife like Ram did, even after she stayed at another person's house. This continuous questioning of her purity eventually led her entering the earth after she reunites her sons with Ram.

Law: Defamation (Section 499), Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman (Section 509)

Explanation: If a person uses words, either spoken or written, to harm the reputation of another, he is liable for defamation.

Apart from these crimes, there are multiple others which happened in such a magnitude that it would take another book just to cover them.

What other crimes come to your mind when thinking about Ramayan?

Conclusion

Learning law might be boring for some, but there are always new ways to understand and retain complex provisions. Now when you watch the movie “Adipurush”, make sure you also do your revision of all the legal provisions you could think of!