Jaishankar’s Ramayana doctrine: Five-point guide for India's global leadership ambition

"Ram is not conflict but resolution," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya earlier this year. This sentiment is echoed in External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar's book, 'Why Bharat Matters', which was released just weeks before the Ayodhya event. 

In his book, Jaishankar explores how the Hindu epic Ramayana offers fundamental insights for India's foreign policy.

People watch a screen as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially consecrates the Ram temple, in Ayodhya on January 22, 2024 | AFP

Jaishankar suggests that the story of Lord Ram reflects the journey of a rising power, like India, that harmonises its national interests with a commitment to the global good.

Here’s a breakdown of what might be called Jaishankar’s 'Ramayana Doctrine' in five key lessons:

1. Nations mature through demonstration of strength

Before Lord Ram became a central figure among warriors, he and his brother Lakshman faced several challenges. First, Ram defeated the demoness Tataka, followed by more formidable foes like Maricha and Subahu. Only after overcoming these adversaries did Ram string Shiva’s divine bow in the Kingdom of Mithila, securing his marriage to Sita.

Jaishankar, while describing 'a transformational decade' (2014-2024), adds that, for countries as well as people, major tests are often preceded by earlier experiences of a significant nature.

In modern terms, India’s emergence on the world stage can be seen through similar milestones—whether it was winning the war for the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, the 1998 nuclear tests, or the 2019 Balakot airstrikes. Each of these events showcased India's strength and maturity as a rising power.

India's military intervention in erstwhile East Pakistan facilitated the creation of Bangladesh in 1971; India in 1998 successfully conducted nuclear tests in Rajasthan's Pokhran | X/@ashokgehlot51; Press Information Bureau 

Yet, achieving a state of Ram Rajya—a rules-based order—on India's terms will require navigating resistance from established powers. As Jaishankar notes, "Swimming upstream is the karma of all rising powers."

2. Building alliances is essential for achieving national goals

To rescue Sita from the clutches of the Lankan King Ravana, Lord Ram did not act alone. He relied on the support of his brother Lakshman and his devoted follower, Hanuman. These alliances were crucial in gaining the support of others, like the Monkey King Sugriva and the Bear King Jambavan, as well as Vibheeshana, Ravana’s brother.

Jaishankar draws a parallel here while emphasising the importance of allies for a rising power like India. 

"Those with larger ambitions must develop reliable partners and assured sources of support," he writes. 

As of 21 February 2022, India had delivered 162.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 96 countries — of which, 14.3 million doses were gifted to 98 countries; Jaishankar argues that even in the domain of global politics, every Ram needs a Lakshman, "someone trustworthy and vigilant who will share both successes and sorrows" | AFP 

Citing the examples of India's vaccine diplomacy during Covid pandemic and African Union's inclusion in G20 during New Delhi G20 Leaders' Summit, the external affairs minister argues that India's constituencies of support are expanding across the world. 

3. The power of shared values should not be underestimated

After being exiled on the eve of his coronation, Ram encountered his half-brother Bharata, who had been favoured in his place. The episode is solemnised as Bharata Milaap in popular culture. 

Despite their differing interests, the bond among the four brothers—Ram, Bharata, Lakshman, and Shatrughan—remained strong. 

This unity, despite tensions, was a testament to their shared values.

Similarly, the Quadrilateral Security Alliance or Quad —India, Australia, Japan, and the United States—consists of nations with distinct interests but a strong commitment to democratic values.

(L to R) India's External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after the Quad Ministerial Meeting at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on July 29, 2024 | AFP

For New Delhi, Jaishankar describes the Quad as an outcome of the "corrections that Indian foreign policy made after the Cold War," while underscoring the importance of shared values in forging lasting alliances.

4. Gratitude has a short shelf-life in global politics

The events of the Ramayana were set in motion by a promise—two boons that King Dashrath granted his wife Kaikeyi. When Kaikeyi invoked these boons to send Ram into exile and crown her son Bharata the king, it was a stark reminder of how trust can be misused.

Jaishankar reflects on this lesson in the context of India’s relationship with China. India's support for China’s permanent seat at the UN Security Council in the 1950s was reciprocated with a military attack by Beijing in 1962. 

In diplomacy, Jaishankar notes, gratitude has a short shelf-life.

5. The quest for total security is futile

Ravana was given the boon of invincibility by the creator Brahma. 

But he invoked the boon only towards the entities he deemed as threats: devas, gandharvas, asuras, kinnars, nagas and rakshasas — all but human beings. It was for this reason that Lord Vishnu took a human form as Lord Ram, to kill Ravana.

Jaishankar argues that Ravana's behavioural characteristics show the attitude of those who feel wronged by history. 

Also read | Xi's further grip on power at China Communist Party meet will make him another Mao

"He is badgered by his advisers to regain their dominant status in Lanka, a land that was once ruled by his maternal grandfather Sumali," Jaishankar notes. 

Jaishankar argues that Ravana’s story serves as a cautionary tale for both entrenched and rising powers.

"Ravana consequently begins by displacing his elder brother Kuber, who comes from a different stock. But it then becomes an endless quest, powered by a sense of entitlement and absence of restraint. There are important learnings here for entrenched and rising powers alike, both in charting a path and in managing their ambitions. Total security will always be a fruitless quest."