What is evil?

In Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas, Lord Shiva narrates the story of Sri Rama to Parvati. Parvati asks him why Sri Rama took avatar. Lord Shiva says: Asura maari thapahin suranh rakhahin nij shruti setu Jag bistaarahin bisad jas Ram Janm kar hetu.

To eliminate people of demonic nature and establish people of pious nature. To restore the authority of the Vedas and spread the fame of Vedic culture in the entire world, Rama has taken birth. The word Asura is used here to signify evil people.



But what exactly is evil? This is a question that needs to be asked at every age because the nature of both good and evil keeps changing. One answer is given by Ramcharitmanas itself. Parvati asks Lord Shiva who are these Asuras to kill whom Sri Rama has taken birth.

Lord Shiva replies: Baadhe khal bahu chor juara, je lampat par-dhan par-dara, Manahi matu pita nahin deva, sadhunh san karvavahin seva, Jinh ke yeh aacharan Bhavani, te janehu nisichar sab praani. Wicked people, thieves and gamblers have increased; they covet others’ wealth and women. They do not respect their mother and father, and force noble people to serve them.

O’ Bhavani, those who have such behaviours, know all those people to be Asuras. The question that Parvati asked has fascinated people for ages—what is evil? One of the most popular book series of all time, The Lord of the Rings, is an epic battle between good and evil. It has a few things to say about evil.

For example: ‘Such is the nature of evil, out there in the vast ignorance of the world it festers and it spreads, a shadow that grows in the dark. A sleepless malice as black as the oncoming wall of night. So, it ever was, so, it will always be.

In time, all foul things come forward.’ In the books, evil comes in many forms—a dark lord who wants magic rings to master the entire world, jealous wizards who turn over to the dark side to gain more power, orcs and trolls who fight on the side of evil because it seems to be stronger than good and many others. Evil seeks to destroy rather than create.

It is distrustful and hateful. Evil derides goodness and thinks of it as foolishness. The wizard Saruman invited wizard Gandalf to come over to the evil side.

When Gandalf declined, Saruman mocked him by saying that he ‘did not expect him to show wisdom.’ Evil seeks power at any cost, just like the Evil Lord Sauron was obsessed with finding the ‘one ring to rule them all,’ which would enable him to dominate everyone. Evil dehumanises men and turns them into beasts, like it did to Gollum and Wormtongue.

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