Sengol’s a tradition that goes back to Mahabharata and before: How Modi connects new India with ancient past

From terming the events leading to the handing over of the Sengol to Jawaharlal Nehru as ‘baseless fiction’ to the denial of its importance in the transfer of power, the Sengol continues to dominate the narrative to whitewash the adverse publicity it got as the ‘walking stick’ of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Additionally, there is the worry about it being capable of invoking Tamil pride with the elections just a year away. The anxiety of the Congress is evident from the assertion of the TNCC president, KS Alagiri: “Nehru did not prostrate before the Sengol like Modi did. Sengol was crafted by jewellers and given by Adheenakarthars, and so it is not an appropriate symbol for showing reverence to Tamil Nadu or Tamil culture, as the BJP claims to be doing.” Since a fact-check of the events on 14 August, 1947 is being done by all and sundry, let us focus on the lesser-known facts on certain issues doing rounds. First of all, Sengol was not the prerogative of the Cholas alone. It was also held by the other two Tamil dynasties, namely Chera and Pandya. To be more precise, it was held by all kings across India. This is not to mean that it signified monarchy, rather it was a representation of the Rule of Law or Righteousness. It was known as ‘Dharma Danda’ and expressed so at several places in the Mahabharata. The earliest talk about it comes from the Ikshvaku king Mandhatri who wanted to know the origin of chastisement. The rules of chastisement known as ‘Danda-Niti’ were associated with the display of a weapon – an upright weapon to ensure justice for all. Those rules were described by Bhishma from an episode on Pururavas, stating that Kshatriyas were created for ruling the earth and for wielding ‘Danda’ - the Rod of chastisement. The same was repeated by Vyasa to Yudhishthira when he was about to take up the rule of the country. Vyasa listed out twelve things for kshatriyas, of which wielding ‘the rod of punishment’ (Danda-dharanam) was the foremost. “Strength must always reside in a Kshatriya, and upon strength depends chastisement,” said Vyasa. In the same context, Arjuna said, “The man armed with the rod of chastisement governs all subjects and protects them. The rod of chastisement is awake when all else is sleep. For this, the wise have characterised the rod of chastisement to be Righteousness (Dharma) itself.” Arjuna further elaborated on the contexts where the rod of chastisement was to be used – such as for the protection of wealth, to desist people from sinful behaviour and to discourage actions that bring censure from society. Thus, basically, the Danda is a staff or a rod or a mace or some stick that is held upright to signify the delivery of what is just and right to everyone without any discrimination. The Kshatriya was chosen due to the strength he possesses to rule and enforce the rule of law. One may ask why not others, but only a Kshatriya. This was asked by Yudhishthira to Bhishma who gave the answer in the affirmative. It was perfectly agreeable if someone from the other orders take up the role and restore the rule of law for the protection of the oppressed, said Bhishma (Mbh: 12-79). It is here we find the importance of wielding the Danda for upholding the law of the land. This makes the very idea of Sengol relevant for our times also and not as a relic of a monarchy. It is a symbol of authority in a democracy as it was in a monarchy. It is part of the national identity much like the national flag. How many of you know that there is a look-alike of the Sengol (Danda) in the Harappan seals? One can see it in the front of the unicorn in the numerous Harappan seals. Iravatham Mahadevan has done a detailed study of this image in his paper, ‘The cult object on Unicorn seals: A sacred Filter,’ presented in a seminar in Tokyo in 1983. In this paper, he published some rare images of the Indus seals, of which one particular image resembled a paraphrenia of a king or a leader with what appeared to be a Sengol. In the figure, Plate 1 shows the most commonly seen unicorn seal with an object in front of the animal which is the focus of his discussion. Plates 2,4 and 5 show the same object from different seals. Mahadevan tends to believe that this object is the ‘Soma cup’ or a filter to collect the soma juice. However, he reports the view of another researcher by the name of UP Thaplyal that it represented a standard or Dhvaja or flag post because there was a stem with something on top of it.

Plate 3 is unique in the display of what appears to be a procession of three men carrying a Paaliketana (row of flags), a totem of an animal and a sceptre. This rare image does indicate the presence of a power centre in the Harappan much like any monarchy.

The sceptre seen in this Plate is no different from what is seen in Plate 4 where a man is seen holding it. The shape is similar to the so-called cult object in front of the unicorn, but that being big enough to be held by a man goes to show that the ‘cult’ object in the seal was a miniature of a sceptre. It cannot be a flag post, as Thaplyal thought because the paraphernalia in Plate 3 contains a separate image carrying the flag. No one knows the kind of government running in the Harappan settlements – whether there was a centralised kingdom or smaller groups of workers. But they held a group identity for themselves is what is being made out from Plate 3. When people work as a group some kind of orderliness and discipline must be maintained which can be made possible by the flow of authority. Sengol or sceptre signifies the presence of authority or the rule of law. The one who holds the Sengol is only a servant of the Sengol, not its master. Be it a monarchy or a democracy, the Sengol has relevance as a symbol of the rule of law. It was given to the ruler-designate, Pandit Nehru as a mark of Danda-dharanam. The Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenakarta could not have come over to Delhi to hand over the Sengol without an invitation. Suppose he offered it only as a gift to Nehru, why no one else from this vast country thought of giving some gift (though not Sengol) to Nehru on the eve of Independence? The handing over of the Sengol was the only event slated for that evening besides the performance of a Homa at Rajendra Prasad’s residence, reports Time Magazine dated 23 August, 1947. This indicates that the Sengol-delivery was by a pre-plan and not a random event. Why did they have that event if not for significance? Whether it marked the transfer of power is best understood from Nehru’s thoughts on the Harappan (Indus) civilisation expressed by him in his book The Discovery of India. Standing on the mounds of Mohenjo-Daro he thought, “Between this Indus Valley civilization and today in India, there are many gaps and periods about which we know little. The links joining one period to another are not always evident, and a very great deal has of course happened and innumerable changes have taken place. But there is always an underlying sense of continuity, of an unbroken chain which joins modern India to the far-distant period of six or seven thousand years ago when the Indus Valley civilisation probably began. It is surprising how much there is in Mohenjo-daro and Harappa which reminds one of persisting traditions and habits — popular ritual, craftsmanship, even some fashions in dress.” Little did he realise that the Sengol too had persisted from the Indus and before to the later periods of monarchy and then on the eve of Independence too to remind him to be a perpetual servant of the Sengol and not make the Sengol his servant – a walking aid. The author, a PhD in astrology, is an independent researcher in Hindu epics, prehistory, Tamil Sangam literature and astro-meteorology. She has so far published six books that include the book validating the year of the Mahabharata war. Her latest book, ‘_Ramanuja Itihasa: Decoding the identity of Krimikantha Chola and the Muslim invader at Melukote’  (E-book:  https://www.amazon.in/dp/B09ZJBYZRB), is just out._ Views expressed are personal. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.