REVENGE RESULTS IN LOSS OF PEACE AND

REVENGE RESULTS IN LOSS OF PEACE AND
DEVELOPS NEGATIVE TRAITS


Prof Dr Colonel K Prabhakar Rao (Retired)

Revenge is a trait and a common human phenomenon. The person taken over by the urge for revenge develops hatred, anger, intolerance. He looses humility. His pride overtakes him. He loses peaceful sleep and all the time craves for retaliation. Revenge is the result of some perceived harm or actually done by other person. A defeat in a battle with another one causes revenge. When ego is hurt, a person craves for revenge. This was the most common cause for revenge in bye gone days not only in India, but also everywhere. Although hatred can lead to revenge, it is also not always necessary that a person tries to take revenge against a person whom he hates. At times he neglects and avoids the person that he hates. But if an opportunity arrives most of the people try to plan revenge. The revenge usually has cascading effect as the other guy too plans his revenge. This we find that these acts are passed down over generations. History is replete of such incidents. Craving for revenge completely clouds ones mind. He is overtaken by passion completely.
Hiranyaksha a very powerful demon was killed in yore by Lord Vishnu by assuming the form of a boar when the demon tried to drown the earth in seas. Hiranyakasipa the elder brother seethed with anger and craved for revenge. He performed great penance and obtained boon from Lord Brahma that he could not be killed by humans, Gods, devils animals, birds , snakes and celestial beings and that he would be invincible on earth, in sky and in all worlds apart from that he could not be killed by any type of weapon and in neither day or night. Thus he became invincible and became a great tormentor. He conquered entire universe. He craved for revenge day and night against Vishnu and finally he was slain by Lord Vishnu assuming the form of Narasimha, lion man ( He was neither a beast nor a man). Although Hiranyakasipa was a learned and accomplished person, his senses were completely clouded and he was atlast slain.
In contemporary Indian history, King Jaichand of Kanouj in North India invited Shahbuddin Ghori of Kabul to defeat Prithviraj Chauhan the ruler of Thaneswar near Delhi in 1192. This is because Prithviraj carried away his daughter Samyukta from an assembly where all princes assembled and samyukta was to choose her mate. In fact, Samyukta and Prithviraj loved each other greatly. Thus India was finally enslaved by Muslim rulers till Europeans gained power. Thus the result of revenge on the part of Jaichand was loss of freedom for India for nearly 700 years. Jaichand has gone down the history as the traitor. Another example can be quoted. Thousands of un armed Indians were killed in Jalianwallah massacre in Punjab on 13 April 1919 during freedom struggle when General Dyer of British army ordered firing in Jalianwallah bagh in Amritsar on an unarmed crowd and there were no escape routes. Shaheed Uddham Singh who was a child at that time grew up and craved for revenge. He went all the way to England, stayed for some time, planned and shot dead Michel O Dyer the governor of Punjab at the time of Jalianwallah massacre. He shot them on 13 March 1940 at a meeting in Coxton hall. Lord Jutland was seriously wounded. He was however arrested, tried and hanged. These incidents and many more indicate and prove that Revenge is a human trait that can not be avoided as long as human beings exist on the planet.
Any amount of Gandhian thought of showing the other cheek when slapped does not work. As long as passions remain in human beings, revenge also would remain. Buddhist teachings although are highly vocal on forgiveness and love, revenge continues to dominate the world. In recent times American forces destroyed Taliban in Afghanistan immediately after 9/11, Entire America craved for revenge. Iranians are craving for revenge against America for the coup in fifties. They shout death to America. Rajiv Gandhi, Indian Prime Minister was assassinated as an act of revenge by LTTE of Sri Lanka for the alleged atrocities committed by Indian peace keeping Force in Lanka. Thousands of Sikhs were done to death in and around Delhi after Indira Gandhi; the Indian Prime minister was assassinated by her Sikh body guards in 1984. This was an act of revenge against the army operation on the most respected Sikh shrine Golden Temple in Amritsar in Punjab. Scores of people are killed in Indian states as acts of revenge in faction politics. Shaheed Bhagat Singh killed police officer Saunders as an act of revenge against the lathi charge in which Punjab lion Lala Lajpat Rai died due to lathi blows. The lathi charge took place when Rai was leading a demonstration against Simon commission. Emperor Akbar ordered general massacre after the fall of Chittorgarh in 1567 as an act of revenge against Hindus. Nadir Shah the Persian King ordered sack of Delhi in 18 century and general massacre after he occupied Delhi defeating Mughal armies during the reign of Muhammad Shah. The East India Company troops carried out mass murders in Delhi as acts of revenge after the occupation of Delhi in 1857.Thus we note that history is full of revengeful actions while acts of peace and love are very few.
Yet, apostles of peace such as Lord Jesus and Lord Buddha preached non violence and love and forgiveness and they are always remembered for these great noble qualities which they practiced. The perpetuators of crime as acts of revenge are also remembered as villains. Martyrs such as Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Shaheed Uddham Singh are remembered by Indians for the sacrifices they made although they killed some Europeans who are considered as the villains by Indians. However these men were tried as simple criminals by Europeans and were hanged. Thus it is seen that a prescribed definition for revenge can not be easily given. An act of revenge may be glorified by a community while others could see it as a criminal act needing punishment. Thus revenge and punishments are debatable words.

Dr K Prabhakar Rao